Mapic Cannes Reimagined to Connect Global Retail and Real Estate
The 30th edition of Mapic, the prominent commercial real estate show, is set to convene at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, from November 4-6. This year's event anticipates hosting 160 exhibitors and welcoming approximately 4,000 visitors, including 1,800 representatives from retail businesses actively seeking new commercial premises. A key objective for the organisers is to attract a greater number of international exhibitors, reflecting their commitment to adapting the show's format to align with evolving market conditions.
A significant strategic overhaul has been implemented for this milestone edition. Francesco Pupillo, the show's director, explained, "Mapic’s role in promoting business opportunities is still highly recognised by retailers and real estate developers, but nowadays it's harder to deploy human and budgetary resources to come and spend three days in Cannes." He added, "Based on this observation, we have completely revised the event’s format... We refocused our value proposition on contacts relevance and quality, on a wide range of retail brands, and on ease of connections." This revised approach aims to maximize value for attendees amidst contemporary business challenges.
The main exhibition events are scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, and Wednesday, November 5. Following these, Thursday, November 6, will host the invitation-only NextGen Retail Day. This specialized day will feature focused meetings and workshops addressing the expectations of Gen Z consumers, with participation from students representing three leading French business schools. Networking opportunities have also been enhanced, including the new Retail Leaders Cocktail, designed to bring together senior executives from 50 of Mapic's largest retailers and CEOs from around 40 major commercial real estate developers. Furthermore, the traditional opening cocktail party and the gala dinner on November 4 will be combined into a single, large-scale event open to all attendees.
This year's Mapic places a special emphasis on fostering global connections, with a dedicated focus on showcasing new brands from Asia and the Americas. Concurrently, the event will highlight retailers and real estate developers from emerging regions, notably the Middle East and India, underscoring Mapic's commitment to facilitating cross-continental business partnerships and investment opportunities in a rapidly globalizing market.
A comprehensive survey of approximately 1,000 retailers attending Mapic has revealed diverse and ambitious expansion strategies across various global regions. For instance, brands like Aesop, apparel brand Funky Buddha, childrenswear specialist Flying Tiger, and yoga apparel company ALO are all expressing keen interest in expanding their footprint across Europe. Simultaneously, major players such as Primark, Parfois, and L'Oréal are reportedly setting their sights on the burgeoning market of Saudi Arabia, while JD and Diesel are prioritizing expansion in North America, and H&M is targeting growth in South America.
Beyond these, India emerges as a preferred destination for the Danish brand Flying Tiger, as well as for luxury crystal purveyor Swarovski. Deckers, on the other hand, demonstrates significant interest in the vast Chinese market. Within the African continent, French retailers Monoprix and Kiabi are actively seeking expansion opportunities in Egypt, while Turkish apparel brands AC & co. and Avva are reportedly targeting Algeria for their market growth strategies.
