Sweden has the Best Nordic Shopping Center 2015

NCSC Awards, Best Nordic Shopping Center 2015 is announced. Every year NCSC, Nordic Council of Shopping Center, arrange a Nordic competition. The nominated centers are: Bruun's Galleri in Denmark, Täby Centrum in Sweden and Vestkanten Storsenter in Norway. The Best Nordic Shopping Center 2015 is Täby Centrum, Sweden! Congratulations from the whole shopping center industry.

During the NCSC Annual General Meeting and Conference in Helsinki April 15-16, the shopping center industry announced the best Nordic Shopping Center of the year. The nominated centers are already national winners 2014. The prize ceremony was held at Finlandia Hall on the evening of April 15 during a gala dinner including the Nordic shopping center industry.

The new challenge prize "Nordic Star", designed and produced by MK Illumination, was handed out by 2014 years winner Gulskogen, Norway, to Täby Centrum in Sweden, the Best Nordic Shopping Center 2015.

"Is it possible to compete in becoming the best shopping center in the Nordics? It´s not easy of course, but it’s doable. In this ”game” there are no physical goals to achieve, like jumping the highest or running the fastest. The criteria’s are more complicated. We always try to improve to be able to help the business develop and grow with smarter solutions, to focus on one of the most important areas of building our society – retail and commerce." Says Lars Wester, jury chair.

The Nordic jury's winner motivation:

”The winning shopping center has a strong holistic perspective. It begins on the square or in the well-designed garage and continues with a complete mix of tenants in a recognizable clustering. Even the invisible connection between the new and the old parts is nicely done. The customers feel cared for with good seating areas, a nice family room and well-designed restrooms. Joint education for all employees in the shops results in a united warm and service oriented attitude, that gives the customers trust. ”Retail is in the detail” gets a whole new meaning here. Everything is done for the convenience and wellbeing of the customers. The result is shown in footfall, local penetration and in overall turnover. They have succeeded!

The winner is - Täby Center, Sweden.”

The Nordic jury 2015:

• Jesper Andreasen, Rødovre Centrum/real estate owner, Denmark
• Olof Fredman, Expansion Manager MQ/retailer, Sweden
• Pertti Hakamäki, Architect/shop concepts, Finland
• Jan Erik Løwer, Aberdeen Asset Management/management, Norway
• Lars Wester, wester+elsner/architect & chairman of the jury, Sweden

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The jury's judgement is, as last year, based on 6 main criteria's, which have been given different importance factors. The main criteria’s are:

• Accessibility 15 %
• Content 20 %
• Architecture 20 %
• Management 15 %
• Marketing 15 %
• Financials 15 %

These criteria’s are judged on a scale from 1-5 and the result is finally compared with the whole jury’s overall and emotional impression of each Shopping Center.

This year there are three nominated centers. All centers are already national winners 2014, they are very competitive attendees. According to the jury they all have four significant parameters of our time:

• City location, in the context of a city center
• Good accessibility, with both train, buses, bicycles, pedestrians and cars, all the centers have garages
• Responsibility for their roll in society, with a good communication and cooperation with the municipality
• A great engagement from both the leading teams and from the owners of each center

Previous winners are:

• 2009 Forum Nacka, Sweden
• 2010 Oslo City, Norway
• 2011 Sandvika Storsenter, Norway
• 2012 Grand Samarkand, Sweden
• 2013 Väla Centrum, Sweden
• 2014 Gulskogen, Norway