Cushman & Wakefield , the world's leading real estate services firm, aware of market trends and its commitment to excellence in client service, has made several appointments to further strengthen its strategic focus on Retail and consolidate its historic leadership in this sector.
In line with the consulting firm's matrix business model, Rafael Mateu, International Partner, will assume the leadership of the Retail area in Spain, with the mission of offering comprehensive solutions to all Cushman & Wakefield clients. Rafael will combine this new position with his current role as Director of Asset Services. With more than 150 professionals dedicated to the management, leasing, investment, valuation and repositioning of retail assets in Spain, the company is positioned as a leader in this sector.
Moreover, for greater synergy and capacity to anticipate new market trends, Cushman & Wakefield will bring together all leasing activities, covering High Street, Retail Parks and Shopping Centres, under a single leadership. Robert Travers, International Partner, will assume this responsibility, which he will combine with his current position as Head of EMEA Retail.
The company has also strengthened its retail asset repositioning services with the creation of the Retail Business Development area, in which it has appointed Partner Cristina Pérez de Zabalza as Director of Retail Leasing Business Development and incorporated Josep Piñot as Partner, Director of PDS Retail Business Development. This move will allow, through the knowledge of the needs of retailers and landlords, to offer a holistic view to improve and reposition assets by providing innovative solutions to the challenges of the sector.
International Partner Rupert Lea remains as Head of Capital Markets Retail, responsible for Retail and Investment transactions, and Tony Loughran as Managing Partner of Valuation & Advisory, responsible for the valuation of real estate assets and portfolios.
"We are convinced that this new structure will strengthen our position to continue offering the best solutions to our clients in the Retail sector and to lead a market in constant transformation and with great opportunities" says Rafael Mateu.
This strategic initiative to adapt the matrix model - which has also been implemented in other sectors such as Office, Logistics, Living and Hospitality - reinforces Cushman & Wakefield's commitment to stay at the forefront of market trends and continuously improve its client service.
In Spain, Cushman & Wakefield manages 35 Shopping Centres and Retail Parks with a total surface area of 1.6 million square metres, an annual footfall of 140 million visits and a turnover of €1 billion. Recent transactions advised by the Retail area include the arrival of Ikea in Santander, the acquisition of a portfolio of eight supermarkets by the French fund Inter-Gestión in Spain, and the second opening of UNIQLO in Madrid, among others.
