The management focuses on investments in high-quality shopping centers in city centers and established locations offering the potential for stable, long-term value growth. A key investment target is the generation of high surplus liquidity from leases in shopping centers, of which a significant part can be paid out to shareholders in the form of an annual dividend. To this end, the Company invests its capital in shopping centers in different European regions in accordance with the principle of risk diversification. Germany is the main focus of investment. Indexed and revenue-linked commercial rents ensure that high earnings targets are achieved.

The Company may invest up to 10% of equity in joint ventures in shopping center projects in the early stages of development.

New investments should be financed from a balanced mix of sources, and external financing may not account for more than 55% of financing across the Group over the long term. As a general rule, longterm interest rates are fixed when loans are taken out or renewed, with the goal of keeping the term (average fixed interest period) at over five years.

Diversified shopping center portfolio

Deutsche EuroShop has a balanced and diversified portfolio of German and European shopping centers. The management focuses on investments in prime (1a) locations in cities with a catchment area of at least 300,000 residents that bring a high level of investment security.

Seizing opportunities and maximising value

In line with the buy & hold strategy, the management is increasingly concentrating on shopping center quality and returns rather than rapid portfolio growth. It continuously monitors the market and makes portfolio adjustments through acquisitions and sales when economically attractive opportunities arise.

Rapid decision-making chains as well as considerable flexibility regarding potential investments and financing structures allow Deutsche EuroShop to react to very wide-ranging competitive situations. At the same time, the Group’s management focuses on optimising the value of the existing portfolio of properties.

Tailored rent structure

One key component of the rental model is a tailored rent structure. While city center property owners often focus on obtaining the highest possible rents for their properties – creating a monolithic retail offering – Deutsche EuroShop’s management uses a calculation combining a range of factors to create an attractive sector mix and optimise long-term rental income. Rental partners pay rents that are customary in this sector and regularly consist mainly of a minimum rent linked to the consumer price index and a revenue-linked rent.

The shopping experience concept

Deutsche EuroShop has outsourced center management to an experienced external partner: ECE Marketplaces GmbH & Co. KG (ECE), based in Hamburg. The ECE Group has been designing, planning, building, letting and managing shopping centers since 1965. The Company is currently the European market leader, with some 200 shopping centers under management. Deutsche EuroShop views professional center management as the key to successful shopping centers. In addition to guaranteeing standard opening hours and a consistently friendly, bright, safe and clean shopping environment, the center management can make use of unusual displays, promotions and exhibitions to turn shopping into an experience. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, each day an average of 500,000 to 600,000 shoppers visited the 21 Deutsche EuroShop centers, where they were impressed not only by the range of sectors represented, but also by promotional activities including car, talent and fashion shows as well as a wide variety of attractions for children. As a result, the shopping centers become marketplaces where there is always something new and spectacular on offer. We are confident that once the pandemic has subsided we will once again be able to welcome a comparable average number of visitors to our centers.