23: Peter Wilhelm & Joost Koomen (European Council of Shopping Places)

In this episode of RLI Talks Jayne speaks to Peter Wilhelm, CEO of Wilhelm & Co and Chairman of ESCP, the newly launched European Council of Shopping Places and Joost Koomen, Secretary General, ESCP.  Peter and Joost discuss the impacts COVID-19 has had on the industry from the viewpoint of Europe as a whole, and how they believe the shopping experience has now changed forever. Things on the ground aren't necessarily as bad as what's being reported - and Peter thinks we can continue to be optimistic - but the future for retail is certainly a more fragmented one, with an increase in the demand for proximity retail and larger mixed use projects. Overall, Peter and Joost talk about the need to work together - and how the ESCP aims to provide a unified voice at a European level.