German shopping centre council offers reopening guidelines
German retailers and landlords — including ECE, Deutsche EuroShop, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, HBB, BBE, IPH and EHI — have agreed to comply with a new guide for cooperating during COVID-19. The German Council of Shopping Places compiled the guide. “Everyone is well aware that the massive impact brought about by the coronavirus crisis is not the fault of any party and that we will only be able to cope with the aftereffects by working together,” said Harald Ortner, chairman of the German Council of Shopping Places. Across

Berliners return to stores after lockdown
Berlin shoppers returned to stores after a month of government-mandated lockdown. Face masks and distancing guidelines are the new normal for retailers there as small stores are allowed to reopen. The Sydney Morning Herald

Tallinn malls to reopen in May
Mall landlords in Tallinn, Estonia, are confident in their ability to safely reopen their properties to the public in May per government mandates. “If this [reopening of shopping malls] is put off further and further into the future, the worse and more painful it becomes for all parties,” said Raul Puusepp, Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp chairman. ERR

France gives Fnac €500 million loan
French consumer electronics retailer Fnac is the first large company in France to access the €110 billion aid package the French government established for businesses troubled by COVID-19. WHBL

Cora teams with food-delivery app in Romania
Hypermarket chain Cora signed a deal with Romanian food-delivery app Foodpanda to allow customers in Romania to order items for home delivery. Cora operates 11 stores in Romania. Romania-Insider.com

UK: Lockdown drives steep footfall decline
Government-mandated store closures and stay-at-home orders significantly dampened UK footfall in March. In the three weeks prior to the lockdown, UK footfall declined by an average of 17.7 per cent; during the two weeks of lockdown, it declined by an average of 83.2 per cent, according to ShopperTrak. Access & Mobility Professional

Slate Asset Management raises €250 million to buy European retail property
Slate Asset Management has raised about €250 million for its latest European grocery-anchored real estate asset fund, called Slate European Real Estate Fund III. It’s the first Slate Europe fund to include European investors, who contributed 56 per cent of capital (€140 million). Another 14 per cent of capital came from Asia-based investors. IPE Real Assets

Animal becomes latest UK high-street chain to close stores
UK action-sports lifestyle brand Animal will close its remaining stores. COVID-19 exacerbated existing woes, driving the company out of business. Animal's decision to close is the latest such headline from the high street. Oasis, Warehouse and Laura Ashley also have gone into administration in the past month. Mirror

Fate of Laura Ashley stores uncertain after brand name sold
Gordon Brothers purchased the storied Laura Ashley brand name and archives out of administration for an undisclosed amount. The company’s 147 UK stores were not a part of the deal. NorthWalesLive

UK: B&Q reopens 75 stores
UK home-improvement retailer B&Q reopened 61 stores, making plants available for purchase in self-service garden centres. That brings to 75 the units that the chain of 300 stores has reopened since the government-mandated lockdown. The Telegraph