How retailers can stay ahead in a shifting market

By Karoline Nader-Gräff, Expansion & Development Director at Ingka Centres

Retail is shifting at extraordinary speed. People expect physical destinations to offer more than shopping, they look for places that contribute to daily life, reflect their values and connect them with their local communities. And while many behaviours are global, what people need, appreciate and prioritise can vary profoundly from place to place.

At Ingka Centres, we see this every day across our meeting places in 14 countries. Our global competence combined with deep local experience is what shapes our approach. Our development strategy is built on a simple belief: the more deeply we understand how people live, work, eat and play in our local communities, the better we can proactively respond to their needs and wishes. From Stockholm to Shanghai to Noida, each project reflects a unique culture, shaped through close collaboration with local communities & partner-organisations.

Designing with people at the centre

Our upcoming developments in India show how this approach becomes reality. Lykli Noida and Lykli Gurugram are being designed as vibrant, multigenerational destinations where social life, leisure, wellbeing and community naturally come together. Our ambition for these Meeting Places is to become true anchors in their local neighbourhoods.

Lykli Gurugram, for example, integrates strong themes of health, sport, nature and sustainability. Spaces are being designed to encourage relaxation, movement and belonging, while its development targets leading environmental and wellbeing certifications. Both destinations are designed for today’s needs but planned with tomorrow in mind.

Creating experiences worth choosing

Our global footprint gives us a front row seat to how people decide where to spend their time. Despite different cultures and lifestyles, one insight is consistent: convenience, location and a strong offer remain essential but what truly differentiates a destination is the quality of experiences we create. This includes atmosphere, services, events, food, culture, community activation, and the blend of functions people can engage with in one visit.

Livat Shanghai, our largest investment in China, demonstrates the power of experience-led, mixed-use environments. Since opening in 2024 – with more than 120,000 visitors on its first day – it has maintained strong engagement by blending retail, workplaces, cultural experiences and community spaces in a way that captures Shanghai’s unique urban energy.

When destinations reflect the lives, rhythms and expectations of their communities, people naturally choose to spend time there.

Embedding sustainability from the start

As people increasingly prioritise responsibility alongside experience, staying relevant also means shaping places that contribute positively to everyday life and local communities. Sustainability is not an addon, it is embedded in everything we do. The upcoming Ingka Sustainable Mall extension at Matkus in Finland is one example: a circular ecosystem combining a reuse-focused shopping centre, a material sorting facility and a hands-on learning centre. The same ambition guides Livat Xi’an, where photovoltaic panels, groundsource heat pumps and other efficient technologies already enable 100 percent renewable heating and cooling. The project’s recent LEED Gold Certification underscores the progress we are making on our journey towards fully circular, climate positive operations.

Staying ahead by staying close to life in our communities

Retailers who thrive will be those who pair a global perspective with a local heartbeat – understanding broad behavioural shifts while honouring the uniqueness of every community. By shaping meeting places that grow from real life and evolve with it, we create destinations people return to again and again.