shopping centers and develops other spe- cial properties. With 137 facilities currently under its management and around 3,000 employees, the company is Europe‘s market leader in the area of inner-city shopping cen- ters. Deutsche EuroShop benefits from this expe- rience both inside Germany and abroad. Thanks to our streamlined structure, we are therefore able to focus on our core business and competence, portfolio management. www.ece.com COOPERATIVE TEAMWORK One of the core tasks of center management is putting together the right combination of retailers, service providers and catering out- lets to suit the property and the local area. The mix of tenants and sectors is tailored to the location and refined over time as tenants change. The retail sector in the vicinity is analysed and monitored on a continuous basis, as well. Targeted customer surveys are employed in the center to identify customers‘ needs and wishes. These are conducted on a regular basis and help us determine which sector or which product customers would like to see in the center in question. The center‘s management also strives to make space for retailers from sectors which have practically disappeared from city centers on account of current rents in prime locations yet which form part of an attractive retail mix such as specialist toy shops or pet stores. As long-term real estate investors, the rental activities focus on permanent rent optimisa- tion rather than short-term maximisation of rental income. Here we set ourselves apart from building owners in the classical pedest- rian zone. We want to offer customers and visitors an attractive mix. Rather than focus on each shop space in isolation, we look at the tenant mix as a whole. The rent in each case is calculated primarily on the basis of the sales potential of the sector to which the tenant belongs as well as of its location within the shopping center. This system also makes it possible to offer an opportunity to new businesses and niche concepts. The intention is that everybody will benefit from this system: As the landlord, we are able to build a relationship of trust with our tenants for the long term. Our tenants, in turn, benefit from the high volume of visi- tors, a key prerequisite for achieving adequate sales. And last but not least, our customers can enjoy a wide range of diverse products in each Deutsche EuroShop shopping center. This diversity extends from a wide variety of fashion concepts to shops for electronics and specialty foods through to services such as dry cleaner‘s, banks and post offices. Dining facilities top off the offering: cafés, (fast-food) restaurants and ice-cream parlours provide refreshment or nourishment in-between shopping. REAL DIVERSITY AMONG TENANTS The fashion industry dominates our retail mix at 50%. Our customers, too, confirm the particular fashion expertise in our centers time and again in customer surveys. It is one reason why customers are sometimes even willing to travel long distances from the sur- rounding area to enjoy the wide selection and the quality of the professional advice. To lend each of our properties their own individual character, care is taken to ensure that there is a balanced blend of regional traders and individual merchants as well as national and international chains. And this is where we differ from classical shopping streets in Germany where the percentage of chains sometimes exceeds 90%. RETAILING BASICS Our tenants are the pillar of our success. In addition to many regional dealers and indi- vidual merchants, they include Aldi, Apple, Bench, Bijou Brigitte, Breuninger, Burger King, C&A, Christ, dm-drogerie markt, Deutsche Post, Deutsche Telekom, Douglas, Esprit, Fielmann, Foot Locker, Galeria Kauf- hof, Gerry Weber, Görtz, H&M, Hollister, Jack&Jones, Karstadt, Lacoste, Marc Cain, Media Markt, Marc O’Polo, New Yorker, Nordsee, Peek & Cloppenburg, REWE, Saturn, Starbucks, s.Oliver, Subway, Swa- rovski, Thalia, Timberland, TK Maxx, Tom Tailor, Tommy Hilfiger, Vero Moda, Voda- fone, WMF and Zara. Altmarkt-Galerie, Dresden Stadt-Galerie, Passau Handbag from Görtz Retro sunglasses from Marc Cain Sun hat from s.Oliver DES Annual Report 2011 35