Shopping Centers Today

FEB 2015

Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/448937

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 49 of 59

He went on to develop more than a dozen other retail projects throughout France, as well as centers in Spain and Belgium. Many of his early projects capital- ized on the same post–World War II trends that led to the proliferation of shopping centers in the U.S., including greater ownership of automobiles, the baby boom and suburban housing development. He once described the shopping center as the "child of love," born of man's obsession with his car. With each project, Solal, who jokingly referred to himself as a "shopping center nerd," sought to create a shopping center distinct in terms of both design and tenant mix. Many of his innovations were widely cop- ied, and the success of his shopping centers was closely etIred FrencH developer Jean-louis Solal, widely regarded as the father of europe's shop- ping center industry and a longtime IcSc trustee who helped expand the association's global reach, died christmas day. He was 86. educated in the U.S. and inspired early in his career by some of America's pioneering mall developers, Solal devel- oped the first north American–style mall in europe, parly 2, in 1969 in the western suburbs of paris. tied to his firm belief in the importance of marketing. In an effort to align his shopping centers with the communities they serve, Solal typically named his projects after their locales and added a signature 2: parly 2, ely- sée 2, vélizy 2, for instance. "He absolutely did not do cookie-cutter shopping centers," said John t. riordan, who was president and ceo of IcSc until 2001. "each project was different and dis- tinct and fit into the area of the country in which it was developed. He innovated con- stantly." respected for his integrity, Solal not only exported the north American–style mall to europe, he also brought the IcSc model there. eager to learn from American develop- R the visionary Jean-Louis soLaL transformed europe's shopping center industry By Anna Robaton o b i t u a R y 50 S C t / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 S o l A l w i t h h i S w i f e , N i c o l e

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Shopping Centers Today - FEB 2015