Akmerkez runs Live Well until 23 October, can wellness events bring mall visitors?
Istanbul’s Akmerkez mall is running Live Well, a programme of talks and exercise sessions under the headings Move Well, Think Well and Eat Well, until 23 October (Perakende.org, 13 October 2026). The first Think Well talks took place on 10-11 October and were open to visitors free of charge. Yoga, zumba and HIIT sessions on the mall’s Üçgen Teras (Triangle Terrace) fill the second half of the month.
If you run a store inside a mall, here is why it matters. In autumn 2026, Turkish mall turnover grows on paper and shrinks in real terms, and the sector says shoppers are spending more on experience. The report gives no attendance figure, so the useful question is practical: how does a tenant turn this into something it can measure at the till?
What is on the Akmerkez Live Well programme, and how long does it run?
Akmerkez Live Well runs under three headings until 23 October (Perakende.org). Think Well covers expert talks, Move Well covers exercise on the terrace, and Eat Well covers food gatherings. The talks are open to visitors and free, and the report points readers to the mall’s website and Instagram for times.
Why are Turkish malls staging free wellness events in autumn 2026?
Because turnover is rising in lira and falling in real terms. The AYD-Akademetre mall turnover index rose 22.9% year on year in nominal terms in August 2026, while shrinking 6.5% in real terms (Foreks). That makes three months of real decline in a row.
Can a wellness event at a mall like Akmerkez really bring in visitors?
It can, but there is no figure showing that Live Well does. The report gives no attendance number and no effect on footfall or turnover. A free programme brings people to the terrace. The real question is whether terrace visitors walk down to the shopping floors.
A month-long calendar gives tenants more chances than a one-off show
The same person can come to a talk one weekend and to zumba the next. Repeat visits give a loyalty card or campaign reminder more to work with than a single-day show.
Which stores and businesses feel the effect of wellness events like Akmerkez Live Well?
Tenants close to the theme feel it most: sportswear, personal care, cosmetics, healthy food and cafés. Stores far from the theme, with windows cut off from the event area, struggle more. Indirectly, nearby studios, dietitians and organic grocers now face a free programme.
The winning tenants catch people on their way out of a session
Personal care and café tenants are best placed to catch visitors after a session. Small offers such as water, a smoothie or a skincare tester slip easily into the basket.
How does a mall event like Akmerkez Live Well build visibility for stores on the web, in search and on social media?
Searches and posts about the mall may rise during an event, and the report sends people to its website and Instagram for details. If your store is invisible in that window, visitors find the mall but not you.
What should a store owner at Akmerkez or any other mall do this week?
A few Live Well days remain before 23 October. The desk’s recommendation is to put the calendar into your own store plan and run a small one-week test. It shows where to spend next time, and it is a good moment to move stock that is gathering dust on the shelf.
A five-point store checklist for event week
Match the event calendar to your staff rota, and put a single product group linked to the theme in the window. Place an offer at the till that you track with an event code, and update your business profile. Then compare receipt count and average basket size on event days with the previous weekend.
Quick Summary
- Akmerkez Live Well runs under the headings Move Well, Think Well and Eat Well until 23 October (Perakende.org).
- The expert talks are open to visitors and free, and the exercise sessions take place on the Üçgen Teras (Perakende.org).
- The AYD-Akademetre mall turnover index rose 22.9% in nominal terms in August 2026 and fell 6.5% in real terms (Foreks).
- The report gives no visitor numbers and no effect on turnover.
- For a tenant, the measure is receipt count, average basket size and code use on event days.
Short Glossary
- Tenant mix
- Tenant mix is the planning term used to describe the spread of stores and categories in a shopping mall.
- Sales per square metre
- Sales per square metre is the productivity measure used to show how much a store sells per unit of floor space.
- Real turnover
- Real turnover is the concept used to describe sales value after the effect of inflation is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Next Step
If you would like to work out together how your store can benefit from mall events, fill in the Consult Your Expert form.
Sources: Perakende.org, Akmerkez Live Well report, 13 October 2026 · Foreks, mall productivity index for August 2026 · Perakende Türkiye, October 2026 · Akmerkez GYO, KAP company page (linked in the text)
Updated: October 2026
Sık Sorulan Sorular
On 10 October, Ayşegül Çoruhlu spoke at the “Longevity Talks”, and Esra Çavuşoğlu spoke on a women’s health and biohacking panel. That panel was moderated by Ceren Ceylan Ertaç, editor-in-chief of media partner LivetoBloom. On 11 October, dermatologist Ayfer Aydın covered skin ageing. The 13 October programme lists a talk called “The Codes of Healthy Living” with pharmacist Adile Özdağ and Murat Aksoy.
Move Well sessions are held on Akmerkez’s Üçgen Teras. Yoga is on 13 and 17 October, zumba on 16 and 18 October, and a HIIT session led by Görkem Doğan on 16 October. On 19 October, Akmerkez Terasta Tarım hosts a Long Table with chef Yaren Çarpar and Nilhan Aras, plus a “Mindful Eating” session with dietitian Selvi Akman.
No. According to nutrition expert and FAO Food Hero Dilara Koçak, people should aim for 30 different plant foods a week, one fermented food a day and an earlier dinner. She sums it up as “youth is not in a jar, it’s on the plate and the pillow”. These are personal views, not medical advice; ask your own doctor.
According to the mall sector’s leadership, as reported by Perakende Türkiye in October 2026, budgets are shifting towards socialising and experience. The same assessment says entertainment turnover rose 42% and health and personal care turnover rose 35% in the first eight months of 2026. Live Well sits where those two lines meet.
No. The report quotes no one from Akmerkez management, and it gives neither a budget nor how many times the event has been held. The company page of Akmerkez GYO on KAP, Türkiye’s public disclosure platform, lists the operator’s line of business and capital, with nothing on the event. Sector data is a safer guide than guessing.
Someone carrying a yoga mat is not there to shop. If they take the lift straight back to the car park, they never pass your shop front. Without signage or a reason to move between the event area and the store floors, the traffic stays on the terrace and never touches sales per square metre.
For a tenant, the measure is simple: receipt count, average basket size and campaign code use on event days. Set them against an ordinary weekend.
A paid yoga studio may see it that way at first, yet a crowd that builds an exercise habit becomes its future customers. Choosing between a high-street unit and a mall unit involves other sums as well, which we look at through MR.DIY’s 700 sqm store in Kadıköy Çarşı.
A store far from the event floor with an unchanged window sees the traffic only from afar. Customers turn back at the door with no reason to step in. A short-term window display or sampling corner is the cheapest test.
Add an event-week post to your Google Business Profile, along with current opening hours and directions to your floor inside the mall. A profile that shows up for “mall name + store type”, with photos and floor details, sends visitors straight to your door.
Joining the mall’s event posts from your store account links your followers to a shared topic. A code that only works on session days lets you spot Instagram visitors at the till.
A small budget can work harder on event days as location-targeted ads around the mall. Show people heading to the terrace what waits in your store that day. Keep it short, dated and measurable.
The hour or two after a session ends is when your store may get busy. Shifting cover there keeps queues short. We cover how stores set up flexible shifts in our piece on Rossmann Türkiye’s two-days-off model.
Planning event periods around search, social media and campaign data is part of the digital marketing work we do for retailers.
According to Perakende.org, the talks are open to visitors and free. For current times and conditions, check Akmerkez’s website and Instagram account.
For a stand, a sampling table or a joint campaign in the event area, your first contact is mall management. Read the common area and marketing contribution clauses in your lease beforehand. Verify with the official source; this is not legal or financial advice.
Compare receipt count and average basket size on event days with similar days before. An event-only discount code is the easiest way to spot those customers at the till.