Achmea Real Estate

When you’re out shopping for the day, you don’t always realise that behind those stores lie different worlds. One of these worlds is the world of real estate. And if you think this is a dull world full of grey men in dark blue suits, it’s time to rethink your opinion. Real estate – and especially retail real estate – is evolving. Thanks to a dynamic playing field of numerous stakeholders, stores and shopping centres are becoming more like experience centres, where we, as consumers, feel like we are in a different world while shopping.

One of the biggest players in the retail real estate market in the Netherlands is Achmea Real Estate. The total portfolio of this company, which invests for pension funds and insurers, amounts to 40 billion euros. A significant portion of the retail real estate (almost 1 billion euros) can be found in the five largest cities in our country. Developments – especially in retail real estate – are moving incredibly fast. In such an environment, it is crucial to keep raising the bar every day. That’s exactly the goal of Achmea Real Estate. And it’s not just about the financial results. “We choose sustainable investments with both financial and societal returns. With this, we work for our clients (and their clients) on a healthy financial foundation and an attractive living environment. For now, later, and in the future,” according to their mission.

Long term

Linda van Son is Team Manager of Asset Management for Retail & Healthcare and is actively involved with the portfolio both in the short term and, certainly, in the long term. “We look at a broad spectrum of issues. Sustainability – ESG – is one of the focal points. At the same time, we also look beyond our own portfolio. It’s about the environment with all possible stakeholders. This ranges from store managers to residents, and from municipalities to head offices of retail chains.”

Collaboration

Linda van Son is a true connector at heart. She firmly believes in achieving more by collaborating. And for her, it’s not just about nice words. She does what she says and works with a clear vision. “I truly believe in long-term, sustainable collaborations, and I invest a lot of time and energy into that. If you really want to achieve something, you need each other.”

Knowledge

Ensuring that the stores and shopping centres stay attractive in the future. That could be called the goal on the horizon. To reach that, a constant flow of knowledge and insights is essential. Linda van Son has been working with Customeyes for some time. “We started with a tenant satisfaction survey. This immediately provided valuable information that we could act on.”

Practice

The collaboration expanded step by step, with more results being achieved each time. This led Achmea Real Estate to enter into a long-term partnership with Customeyes. “We started cautiously with modest tenant satisfaction surveys. They immediately showed their value. Of course, we are constantly in conversation with our tenants, but such surveys clearly maps everything out. With these reliable data, you can take practical steps. When you act on the results, you see that tenants also recognize the importance of contributing to the survey. They really feel heard. We also see this reflected in the number of respondents, which further increases the value of these surveys.”

Target groups

The output of the tenant satisfaction surveys also helps Linda in her daily practice. “Here, Customeyes is also of great value. The results of the surveys contribute to a solid foundation for our policy. This starts very early in the process with formulating the right questions. It continues through to presenting the results, which can vary for each target group. The specialists at Customeyes help us present the relevant information for each group in a compelling way. This has positive effects on engagement with the survey – not only with our tenants but also internally.”

Better everyday

For Linda van Son, Customeyes is now much more than ‘a customer survey agency’. “We really see Customeyes as a partner. We have been working together for several years and always have a fixed point of contact who knows our way of thinking and working. This makes it easy for us to quickly adapt. Customeyes also actively thinks along with us and is willing to take initiative. Customeyes is one of our partners who enables us to improve a little every day.”

What are the learnings from this case?

• Achmea Real Estate sees Customeyes not just as a contractor but as a partner. This allows the knowledge, expertise, and initiative of Customeyes’ specialists to be fully utilised.
• Achieving more together is the credo of Linda van Son. And not just hers – at Customeyes, we also embrace collaboration and sharing.
• Every client has a fixed point of contact at Customeyes. This helps build a sustainable relationship, making communication smooth. Because the work area is familiar territory, one word is often enough to explain it all.
• The result reports are invaluable. At Customeyes, it doesn’t stop with delivering the results. The specialists actively think about how to translate these outcomes into practice.