Ingka Centres

What if reuse was simply part of your regular trip to a Meeting Place? 🤔 That’s the idea behind Luuppi, a new circular economy centre that has just opened next to Matkus Shopping in Kuopio, Finland. Developed together by the team at Matkus Meeting Place, Jätekukko, Elävä säätiö and Elävä Kauppa Oy, Luuppi brings second-hand shopping, recycling, repair and reuse services together in one place - making it easier to give unwanted items another life, find something pre-loved or recycle materials during the same visit. But Luuppi is also a place to learn. As the primary pilot site for the EU-funded ICELIFE (ReStyle, RePair, ReUse!) project, it will explore how this kind of ecosystem can work in practice and what could potentially be replicated elsewhere in Europe. The ambition is significant: Luuppi aims to redirect more than 4,000 tonnes of materials towards reuse annually and substantially increase the share of collected materials going to reuse. Now the most interesting part begins: seeing what works, what we learn, and what might travel further. A huge congratulations to Minna Karppinen, Maria Huttunen, all the Matkus team and everyone involved in bringing Luuppi to life. 💛

Why does play matter at every age? In this podcast, host David Brain is joined by Global Sales & Product Director at Simstore Ipsos, Johan Rinaldo, and Anne Flemmert Jensen, CEO & Founder of Future Minds. Together, they explore how play helps us connect, recharge and build stronger communities. Creating places where people can play is really about creating places where communities can thrive. 🎧 Tune in to hear the full conversation and read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eNZdgytq

From hand-pulled noodles to watermelon-eating contests, play has a unique way of bringing people together. At Livat Xi'an, recent activations inspired by local traditions and seasonal moments turned everyday visits into shared experiences. Whether celebrating Xi'an's noodle-making heritage or enjoying some light-hearted summer fun, visitors were invited to participate, connect, and create memories together. For us, play is more than entertainment. It's a powerful way to give people reasons to visit, stay longer, and come back. By creating engaging experiences that feel relevant to the local community, we strengthen connections between people and place while supporting our tenants and driving commercial impact across the meeting place. That's how we turn everyday moments into meaningful experiences. 💛 #IngkaCentres #LocalCulture #MeetingPlace #CommunityConnections #EatCampaign

Simple words can have a big impact. We’re loving these new creative touches that have been made to the Livat Xi’an office! Being surrounded by playful energy can help motivate and encourage. This type of sentiment echoes in our offices across the globe at Ingka Centres. Just like at our Meeting Places, a space can impact the way we feel… so it’s important to fill our spaces with encouraging motivation like this. What quotes make you feel ready for the day ahead? 👇

When adults in China talk about play, they don’t just mean a break for children - they mean a better way to live everyday life. 🎈 In the Life in Communities Report 2026, adults in China emerge as some of the most active and optimistic about play. 63% of adults already spend more than 2 hours a week on playful activities, see play as a vital part of daily life even when time is tight, and express a strong wish for green, outdoor experiences in public spaces. In other words, people are ready for places that let them breathe, move and connect, not just pass through. On the occasion of Children’s Day, Livat Wuxi brought this insight to life by upgrading its outdoor plaza into Livat Park: a playful, green meeting place where nature and open space invite people to slow down together, playful activities make it natural for adults to join in rather than only accompany children, and an ordinary visit can turn into a shared experience people want to repeat. For Ingka Centres, this is what it means to bring play into meeting places in China: using insight to design destinations where people have real reasons to visit, stay longer and come back, while creating value for communities, brands and assets at the same time. ➡️ Explore the report and discover what’s in it for your business, available in English, Chinese, Polish, Swedish, French and Spanish. https://lnkd.in/eNZdgytq #IngkaCentres #LifeInCommunities #Play #Community

💛 Some moments stay with you because they bring people closer. At Italie Deux in the heart of Paris, that’s what value beyond retail looks like. It’s a Meeting Place shaped not only by shopping, but by culture, care and community. Together with local associations, community partners and IKEA, Italie Deux creates experiences that reflect the life and diversity of the neighbourhood, from Lunar New Year celebrations that bring people together, to local food stories shared through LGU - Le Guide Ultime, celebrating the flavours and voices of the 13th arrondissement. 🤝 It is also a place for solidarity. In partnership with Établissement Français du Sang, Italie Deux previously opened a temporary blood donation centre, where more than 200 people donated blood over six days, a simple but powerful reminder of what can happen when a place makes room for people to care for one another. And with IKEA, the BILLY Book Club 📚 brought together a familiar IKEA icon and France’s strong reading culture in a way that felt meaningful, local and relevant. Through talks, readings and activities for different generations, it invited visitors not just to stop by, but to take part. This is what we believe meaningful Meeting Places can do: go beyond transactions to create spaces where people feel welcome, seen and part of something bigger. #IngkaCentres #ItalieDeux #MeetingPlace #CommunityEngagement #SocialImpact #CustomerExperience

What if the future of retail was a little more playful? Retail is no longer just about transactions. It's about creating reasons for people to spend time together. In a recent interview with Retail Week, Sebastian Hylving shares why he believes play is becoming one of the most important conversations in retail today.   The question for retail is no longer just what people come to buy, but why they choose to spend their time with us. That's why Ingka Centres is exploring how play can help create Meeting Places that people want to visit, enjoy and return to. Places that spark curiosity, encourage connection and create experiences worth sharing.   Curious to hear Sebastian's perspective? Read the full interview in Retail Week 👇 https://lnkd.in/e3XquNRM #IngkaCentres #MeetingPlaces #Retail #Play #FutureOfRetail #CustomerExperience

What if an old pair of sneakers could become a place to play? 🏀   That’s now a reality at Livat Shanghai, where visitors can experience the world’s first Nike Grind basketball court in a shopping mall.   Created by Nike using materials from its Recycle-A-Shoe programme, the court gives worn-out sneakers a new purpose as part of a space where people can come together, stay active and have fun.   Projects like this show what’s possible when brands and meeting places work together to create engaging experiences for the community.   Congratulations to Nike on bringing this inspiring concept to life at Livat Shanghai.   #LivatShanghai #MeetingPlace #Community #NikeGrind

This summer, Wola Park and Ulrich Gardens have teamed up to recreate their summer zone, a space designed to bring people together through movement, connection and shared experiences. Until the end of August, visitors can enjoy a free outdoor summer zone featuring a diverse programme of activities for all ages, including salsa classes, outdoor yoga, sports sessions with local club UKS Irzyk, family workshops, children's theatre performances and the popular Boogie Nights dance evenings. Available every day, the space also offers beach volleyball, table tennis, foosball, board games and a dedicated relaxation area, encouraging visitors to spend more time outdoors and engage with their local community. Set against the unique backdrop of Ulrich Gardens, this initiative reflects our commitment to creating vibrant destinations that go beyond shopping; places where people can meet, unwind and create memorable moments together. These are the moments you can’t click and collect. 📍 Free entry | Open daily until the end of August #WolaPark #Summer #CommunityEngagement #RetailExperience #CustomerExperience #Warsaw

The SRI Association coalition is growing! We're pleased to welcome Sonae Sierra as a General Member and Polska Rada Centrów Handlowych | Polish Council of Shopping Centers (PRCH) as a Partner, expanding SRIA's coalition to six organisations alongside Ingka Centres, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, WWF-France and Good On You. This growing coalition reinforces SRIA's mission to establish a recognised industry standard for measuring and accelerating sustainability across retail spaces. Sonae Sierra is deepening its commitment following a successful pilot phase, while PRCH brings national-level reach to help drive the adoption of the Sustainable Retail Index (SRI) in Poland. Together, this growing momentum reflects the retail industry's increasing commitment to transparency, collaboration and measurable progress. As Ingka Centres' Global Leasing Director and SRIA Board Member, Vasco Santos says: "The strengthening of the SRIA coalition marks an important step towards a more transparent and sustainable retail industry. By bringing more industry leaders together around a common benchmark, we're helping create the transparency and collaboration needed to accelerate meaningful change across the sector. This is just the beginning, and we're excited to work closely with the coalition to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future for retail." 🌱 At Ingka Centres, we believe collaboration is essential to driving meaningful change, and we're proud to be part of a coalition working together to raise the bar for sustainability across the retail industry.