the new uses of retail sPaces

The arrival of mixed-use services

Also with a view to transforming threats into opportunities, in the post-Covid scenario, the possibilities of adopting new ways of doing business in the retail segment are increasing. Solutions that not only contemplate new uses and approaches with the common thread of experience, but also turn into services, always and in any case guaranteeing added value for the consumer. These solutions also consider the new requirements dictated by the phenomenon of working from home, whose future developments are not yet clear. The transformation of the traditional retail formats is, among other things, facilitated by the major urban regeneration projects currently underway in Italy, which make it possible to create more suitable and customisable spaces and places. Therefore, while the retail and food combination, which has already been widely experimented, is increasingly propaedeutic in ensuring a social experience, other product combinations are also being targeted to find alternative and experiential formulas, perhaps by mixing fashion, technology, art and hospitality. Or new, important mixed-use services are introduced. In particular, large shops, often left empty by large fast fashion chains that are optimising their network, are already being reconverted, both on the high street and in shopping centres. Sometimes they are used as distribution centres to handle online orders or in any case become functional for e-commerce activities. Other times they are transformed, for example, into specialist laboratories, diagnostic centres, dental centres and primary care businesses. This is because, in these areas too, the aim is to increasingly guarantee a proximity service.