The history of shopping centres is much older than it might seem. They have evolved from open-air markets and shopping arcades into the large suburban retail complexes of the 20th century and, more recently, into mixed-use destinations that combine leisure, dining and shopping.
The predecessors of modern shopping centres included urban markets, bazaars and commercial streets such as Trajan's Forum, the great bazaars of the East, and 19th-century shopping galleries like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
Victor Gruen is widely regarded as the father of the modern shopping centre. In 1956, he opened the world's first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall: Southdale Center. Over the following fifty years, shopping centres multiplied rapidly, first across the United States and later throughout Europe and Latin America.
European Shopping Centres
In Europe, the United Kingdom has the most established shopping mall culture and the largest retail floor space on the continent. Some of the UK's most significant shopping centres include Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City (built during the 2012 Olympic Games), Trafford Centre and Bluewater Shopping Centre.
France is also known for its large shopping centres integrated into dense urban areas around Paris and Lyon, including Westfield Forum des Halles, Westfield Les Quatre Temps and La Part-Dieu.
Spain has a high retail density and a strong leisure culture linked to shopping centres, where dining and entertainment play a major role. Notable examples include La Maquinista, Puerto Venecia, Marineda City and Intu Xanadú, which features an indoor ski slope.
Italy is home to a large number of shopping centres, although traditional urban retail remains highly relevant throughout the country.
The Evolution of Shopping Centres from 2000 to Today
The first decade of the 21st century represented the golden age of expansion for shopping centres across Europe. Massive regional shopping centres were built thanks to easy access to financing, real estate growth and rising consumer spending.
However, from 2008 onwards, the financial crisis, retail saturation and the rise of e-commerce caused footfall to decline in many shopping centres. Increased competition and lower consumption forced the sector to optimise operations and adopt more professional management models.
This triggered a period of profound transformation based on the diversification of services, particularly in leisure and entertainment. Cinemas, gyms, escape rooms, family entertainment centres, concerts, workshops, exhibitions and pop-up stores became increasingly common. Repositioning shopping centres proved to be the key strategy that enabled them to survive in an increasingly competitive and complex market.
The COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022 marked a turning point, forcing shopping centres to repurpose some of their retail space for offices, healthcare facilities, hotels and residential developments.
Today, shopping centres typically allocate their space as follows:
40-50% to retail activity
20-30% to food, beverage and leisure offerings
20-30% to other services
European shopping centres have moved beyond the narrative of crisis and established themselves as strategic assets within the retail ecosystem. Today, their success depends on a combination of factors that go far beyond visitor traffic: location, tenant mix, customer experience and, above all, the ability to understand consumer behaviour.
In this context, measuring consumer behaviour and pedestrian traffic has become essential for maximising space efficiency and making informed decisions in response to increasingly dynamic demand.
It is no longer unusual to see shopping centre spaces changing constantly through store openings and closures, as well as the introduction of new services, exhibitions and recreational activities within common areas.
Shopping Centres in Italy
Italy presents a more proximity-based and specialised retail model. Centres such as Oriocenter, one of the largest in the country, reflect a marketplace where consumers tend to arrive with a more defined purchasing intention.
This behaviour creates distinct dynamics. While average traffic remains relatively stable, attraction rates can peak at nearly 9.8% during certain periods, indicating a greater willingness to enter stores when the offer is relevant.
From an investment perspective, Italy also provides higher returns, estimated at around 7% to 7.5% according to real estate market studies, strengthening its attractiveness within the European retail sector.
International data reveal different consumer patterns in France and Italy during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year.
Shopping Centres in Spain
Leading industry studies agree that shopping centres have entered a new phase. According to analyses by CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield, the most competitive assets in Europe are those that have successfully transformed into experiential destinations, combining retail, leisure and dining to increase dwell time and enhance visitor quality.
This transformation has occurred alongside another important development: the stabilisation, and in some cases slight decline, of physical retail footfall, as highlighted in TC Group's Retail Intelligence Report 2026.
Today, the success of a shopping centre no longer depends solely on attracting visitors. The key lies in understanding how visitors behave, how long they stay, which areas they move through and what percentage eventually enters stores.
Shopping centres have evolved into hybrid environments where retail, leisure, dining, services and experiences coexist. Modern consumers expect much more than shopping. They seek convenience, entertainment and memorable experiences.
In Spain, this evolution is particularly visible in large metropolitan areas such as Madrid and Barcelona. Assets located in strategic areas or connected to major transport hubs continue to maintain strong visitor traffic thanks to their accessibility, retail offering and complementary services.
Madrid remains one of Spain's most dynamic retail markets in terms of commercial density and visitor volume. Large retail complexes located in highly accessible areas attract a steady flow of visitors throughout the week, driven by both residents and domestic and international tourism.
Barcelona presents a different profile. Tourism plays a much larger role and has a significant impact on traffic patterns. In certain retail areas, especially during peak tourist seasons, visitor behaviour changes considerably. Average dwell times increase, weekend visits rise and retail categories such as fashion, dining and experiential offerings become even more important.
However, consumer behaviour has also evolved. While traffic remains relatively stable, store entries do not always follow the same pattern. Visitors compare options more carefully, become more selective about which stores they enter and prioritise experiences that deliver greater value.
Across Spain, external traffic in shopping centres fell by 1.9% during the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Despite this decline, store entries increased by 3.3%, reflecting a shift in consumer behaviour.
At city level, Barcelona (-0.4%), Madrid (-1.3%), Seville (-1.4%) and Valencia (-1.7%) all recorded lower traffic levels during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, each city improved its store entry rates over the same period: Barcelona (+2.4%), Madrid (+4.8%), Seville (+1.5%) and Valencia (+4%).
Italy, meanwhile, increased external traffic by 3%, although store entries declined by 0.7%. Milan (+4.4%) and Rome (+4.7%) led traffic growth nationwide.
France recorded 3% growth in external traffic together with a 6.3% increase in store entries, reinforcing a model where shopping centres excel through urban integration and their ability to maintain consistent visitor flows. Marseille led footfall growth with an increase of 7.9%, followed by Paris at 2.6%.
Annual Comparison: 2024-2025
The annual evolution between 2024 and 2025 already anticipated this transformation in consumer behaviour.
In terms of store entries, Italy led growth with an increase of 4.5%, followed by Spain (+2.3%) and France (+0.4%).
Regarding external traffic:
Spain: +0.2%
Italy: +1.2%
France: -1.8%
Location Within Shopping Centres
One of the most significant changes in shopping centre management is the growing importance of micro-location. It is no longer enough to be present in a successful shopping centre; the exact location of a store within the asset can determine its performance.
Not all areas within a shopping centre generate the same value. Analysing pedestrian flow through corridors, levels and entrances allows operators to identify hot spots, cold zones and common customer routes.
Stores located near anchor tenants, key junctions and dining areas typically achieve better results.
Understanding how frequently visitors return also helps measure loyalty and evaluate the quality of the retail asset. Shopping centres with higher return visitation rates generally offer a stronger value proposition and maintain a closer relationship with consumers.
Thanks to the data gathered from traffic management systems such as people counting solutions, it is possible to analyse visitor movement throughout a shopping centre with great precision. This type of analysis has revealed clear patterns regarding the most effective locations.
Main entrance areas continue to generate the highest volume of pedestrian traffic, making them ideal for brands seeking visibility and impulse purchases. However, high traffic does not always translate into high conversion rates because visitors may not yet have defined their shopping journey.
Locations near anchor stores stand out for their ability to generate qualified traffic. Visitors heading towards major retail anchors often have clearer purchasing intent, benefiting complementary brands located nearby.
Strategic intersections and corridors represent another key customer touchpoint. These spaces combine visibility and traffic volumes effectively, making them ideal for attracting undecided shoppers and encouraging impulse purchases.
Differences between floors are also important. Ground floors remain the busiest areas, while upper levels, where competition tends to be lower, often show more segmented customer behaviour and can achieve stronger attraction rates for specific retail categories.
Corner units can generate up to 20% more interactions thanks to greater exposure to visitor flows.
Finally, leisure and dining areas have gained considerable importance in recent years. Increased dwell time in these zones has a direct impact on the performance of nearby businesses. Internal studies based on traffic measurement systems show that fashion retailers located near dining areas can increase conversion rates by up to 10%.
Conclusions
Shopping centres in Europe continue to be key retail destinations, but their complexity has increased significantly.
It is no longer enough to select the right country or the right asset. Success now depends on understanding exactly how each location performs within its environment.
Spain provides scale, France offers stability and Italy delivers specialisation. In every case, however, success depends on the same factor: the ability to interpret consumer behaviour.
In this context, advanced retail analytics solutions make it possible to go far beyond basic traffic measurement. Through the data collected by these technologies, retailers and operators can transform information into decisions, from selecting the best location within a shopping centre to designing expansion strategies based on reliable data.
Because in today's retail environment, the true competitive advantage is not traffic itself, but understanding it and knowing how to turn it into business value.
