Arena City Center recently started in Bacau, the construction of the biggest mall project in Moldova. Worth €35 million, the project will be delivered in the last quarter of 2007. Arena City Center will have a total surface area of 30,000 m², with a ground floor and two floors. The mall will also have an outside parking lot able to accommodate 700 cars. The first shopping and entertainment center in Bacau will offer more than 140 stores and a usable surface area of 20,000m².
Shortly after the announcement of the main retail project in Moldova, Arena City Center, some of the biggest names operating on the Romanian market have already secured a place among those that will have stores on the premises, as of the fall of 2007. The companies that have already rented space in Arena City Center include: Flanco, with a Flanco World store, New Life, with a drugstore, Libr`riile Alexandria (Alexandria Bookstores), House of Art, Benvenuti, Levi's, Bigotti, Future Shop, Internity, Beauty Shop, Hang Ten, Office Shoes, Cellini, Leonardo, Jolidon, Steilmann, Spar, Spring Time and many others.
"We are currently in talks to rent over 70% of the mall's space, as we have already signed rental contracts and pre-contracts for more than half of the total renting area," says Florina Cojocari, Senior Broker with the Retail Department of Eurisko, the exclusive broker for this project.
"We shall deliver this project next year, but this does not mean that we intend to stop here. Depending on the future evolution of this concept, we will consider options related to a potential expansion of the commercial center by more than 50%," says Ovidiu Budeanu, chairman of Arena City Center company.
Funding for Arena City Center is secured by HVB Bank Romania. The Arena City Center company has teamed up with Vanel Exim - architect, Conbac SA general developer, Prompt Trading Bucharest and Gardiner & Theobald, for project management ad monitoring. Real estate consultancy and space rental are secured by Eurisko Consulting.
Highly attractive interior design and focus on entertainment
Inside, Arena City Center will provide its visitors with a pleasant and elegant way of shopping. "When we devised this concept, we first and foremost thought of maximum visibility. The minute they enter the mall, shoppers will be able to see the stores from all the floors. We aim to use this project to bring here all the famous retail and entertainment brands present on the Romanian market," adds Ovidiu Budeanu.
The commercial center will also be very conducive to socializing, benefiting from an attractive design and ambiance, with a flowing well and plenty of green space, modern escalators and glass panoramic elevators.
The building will include modern, very high-quality materials. The ground floor will host elegant coffee shops where the clients can either hold meetings or simply unwind, whereas the second floor (10,000 m²) will be fully dedicated to leisure areas, including three cinema halls, a restaurant and fast-food area, bowling, billiards and playgrounds for the children. Arena City Center will become one of the first choices for organizing events in Bacau.
"Most of the retailers that have already rented space feel that the mall's strong points are its central location, its structure and the interior design, the efficient traffic and the high visibility guaranteed for all the stores. However, the fact that the commercial center can be reached both by car and by public transportation, and also the generous parking space are just as important," said Florina Cojocari.
Arena City Center aims to be more than just a shopping area. It will become the favorite destination of both the Bac`u inhabitants and of the people from the neighboring cities and towns, such as Piatra Neamt, Roman, Onesti, Adjud, Moinesti, Comanesti, which, put together, account for 1 million potential customers.
Source: EURISKO
