This year’s retail deal-making and place-making event, MAPIC, celebrated key individuals and projects in a special edition of the MAPIC Awards, marking the event’s 30th anniversary.
For this anniversary awards edition celebrating MAPIC’s 30 years, the usual award categories were refreshed to reinforce the exceptional nature of this session.
The show’s organisers were keen to commemorate five ‘PIONEERS OF PLACES’: industry leaders who have shaped the sector over the past 30 years by creating powerful, attractive places and who still contribute every day to shaping tomorrow’s retail and cities.
The inaugural Pioneer of Places Award recipients are:
- Maurice Bansay, Chairman and Founder of Apsys
- Chadatip Chutrakul, CEO of Siam Piwa
- Philippe Journo, Chairman and Founder of La Compagnie de Phalsbourg
- Alexander Otto, CEO of ECE Group
- Alain Taravella, Chairman and Founder of Altarea
Two special Awards were also presented to recognise the brand and the project that have had the greatest impact on the European retail landscape over the past 30 years:
- Zara was recognized as MOST INFLUENTIAL RETAIL BRAND OF THE PAST 30 YEARS
- Westfield London was crowned MOST INFLUENTIAL RETAIL PROPERTY PROJECT OF THE PAST 30 YEARS
The MAPIC 2025 jury, chaired by Joanna Fisher, CEO of ECE Marketplaces, presided over a further four categories, with the following emerging victorious.
- BEST NEW STORE CONCEPT: MINISO LAND, Shanghai
- BEST REFURBISHMENT PROJECT: EL BOULEVARD OF VITORIA-GASTEIZ SHOPPING CENTRE, CBRE
- BEST NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: LIVAT SHANGHAI, SHANGHAI INGKA SHOPPING CENTER
- BEST URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT: WESTFIELD HAMBURG-ÜBERSEEQUARTIER, UNIBAIL-RODAMCO-WESTFIELD
For the brand-focused Awards, MAPIC introduced an unprecedented voting process for the first time. The jury identified a list of particularly powerful and attractive brands in retail, Food & Beverage, and Leisure & Entertainment, and this selection was submitted to public voting. These Awards were therefore co-awarded by the jury and the public and honored:
- MOST WANTED (RETAIL): ZARA
- MOST EXCITING (RETAIL): ON
- MOST WANTED (FOOD & BEVERAGE): MCDONALD’S
- MOST EXCITING (FOOD & BEVERAGE): BIG MAMMA
- MOST WANTED (LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT): LEGOLAND
- MOST EXCITING (LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT): F1 ARCADE
For more information on the winners, please see following link to a detailed description of the projects, the brands and the biographies of the Pioneers of Places.
