A total of 70 new retail chains entered in CEE during 2019, with the largest number of them (22) coming to the Czech Republic. A new study by Cushman & Wakefield found that 46 of these were fashion brands, including 12 that made their Czech debuts. While regionally, they tended to enter markets via the country’s shopping centers, in the Czech Republic there was nearly an equal share of high street and mall openings. “The Czech Republic represented mainly by Prague continues to hold a key position in the market for the entry of retail chains into the region of Central & Eastern Europe,” said Jan Kotrbáček, who leads C&W’s retail team in CEE. They’re attracted by the rising consumer power that’s generated by the large number of customers made up of local residents along with foreign and local tourists.” Among the new fashion arrivals in the Czech Republic were Under Armour, Brooks Brothers, Comma, LOLE, Suite Benedict, Yves Salomon and Zocha.
