Europa Capital has secured two new international retailers at the Mall of Sofia shopping center in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Global fashion brand H&M has chosen Mall of Sofia to open two new stores, and, for the first time since the retailer entered the Bulgarian market, has chosen one location for two separate stores. One store of 700 m² will offer exclusively children’s fashion while the second, a two level store of 1,500 m², offers H&M’s collections for men, women and teenagers.
The opening of these two H&M stores follows the successful reconfiguration of the lower ground level of the shopping center, creating a new 300 m² unit for international retailer Drogerie Markt to complement the existing Piccadilly supermarket and relocated electronics anchor Technomarket.
Mall of Sofia is located in central Sofia at the junction of Al. Stamboliiski Boulevard and Gen. M.D. Skobolev Street. Existing tenants include Esprit, Terranova, Calliope, Benetton, Cinema City, Macdonalds and KFC.
The shopping center, which opened in 2006, was purchased by Europa Capital in August 2011 in a 50:50 joint venture between the Europa Emerging Europe Fund and Europa Fund III. The asset is managed by Avestus Capital Partners.
Tim Norman, chairman of the Europa Emerging Europe Fund, said: “We are pleased to welcome both H&M and Drogerie Markt to Mall of Sofia. Attracting recognized international retailers to Mall of Sofia is a key objective of our business plan due to its strong location and these new lettings demonstrate Mall of Sofia’s resilience as a retail destination. We continue to invest in the asset and work with our managers and tenants to build upon the attractiveness of Mall of Sofia as a retail destination of choice for consumers.”
Source: RLM Finsbury
