La londinese Matters2 analizza le “European Fashion Capitals”: Dusseldorf number 1? Forse …

The research team of Matters2 Ltd. released yesterday the M2 Index 2019 – European Fashion Capitals, a study that aims at challenging how retail managers look at the expansion within European cities in favour of less obvious but still very rewarding locations. All the 100 cities taken into exams were evaluated on the basis of their macro-economic indicators as well as the presence of brands in the region and the discretionary expenses of the population.
 
Rents and average wages penalized the traditional fashion capitals that scored in second, fifth and sixth place (Milan, Paris and London respectively). Who did better than that? Dusseldorf (1^st), Hamburg (3^rd) and Rome (4^th) showed optimal results between market potential and opening costs… but the list goes on: German speaking cities are on the rise and the index suggests that if you are opening new stores in the EU you should definitely have a look also at Munich, Berlin and Vienna.
 
Vittorio Cosma, Managing Director of Matters2, said: “I’m proud to share with the industry part of the tools we use to help brands decide their expansion strategies. Of course this index is just a starting point that needs more insights and further detailed studies for each location, but I hope it will help Retail Managers to explore less obvious markets and prioritise positive cash flows to sustain organic growth.”
 
Matters2 aims at publishing further two indexes along the same lines later this year, on leisure and food respectively.

Average Salary and Most Expensive Cities
Together with the city footfall, the M2 INDEX takes into consideration a weighted ratio between the average wage and the living expenses per each city. London confirms to be the most expensive European city, while lagging behind in 13th position for its average salary. Bern, on the other side, sees high prosperity, third in this ranking with 4,667.43€ of average wage together with a relatively low burden of expenses (18th place from the top).
 
 
High Street Rent
Rent levels in the most expensive retail capitals are relatively stationary with pessimistic forecasts for the near future. The trio London, Paris, Milan is firmly on top and there is no reason to believe prime rents in these cities will affect their european positioning. The rents taken into consideration for these cities exclude the most expensive areas as they have little or no correspondence with other European cities.
 
 
M2 INDEX
The city with the highest ranking in the M2 INDEX 2019 is Dusseldorf. At the heart of the Rhine-Ruhr, a metropolitan region with a population of 11,300,000 people, the city is renowned for its fashion and trade fairs and attracts over 4 million tourists every year. With a relatively low prime rent (3,480 €/SqM/Y) and strong socio-economical indicators for the fashion retail industry, the city tops the much more renowned Milan. Other three German cities, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin make the third, seventh and eighth place respectively, with Rome, Paris and London in the middle as fourth, fifth and sixth. The position of the English capital doesn’t take into account operative worries due to Brexit uncertainty and may become, in the eyes of the developing team, less interesting than other capitals. Vienna and Moscow close the top 10 of the M2 INDEX 2019.
 
   
  

 
 
  
Matters2 is a boutique consultancy company that advises on Retail and Real Estate Investments. Its clients are real estate investors, private equity firms and brands. Matters2 focuses on retail expansion and everything that revolves around the physical point of sale. Its mission is to help entrepreneurs fulfil their dreams and help them grow internationally.

Source : Company