Agria Park, WING Zrt.'s first rural retail development and the winner of a CiJ award in 2008, has turned one year old. Eger's first shopping, service and entertainment complex filled a long-felt gap in the Eastern Hungarian region. In addition to concluding a successful year, the Park also won the acclaim of the property industry.
It has been a year since WING Zrt. handed over its first retail development, the Agria Park in Eger. The 22,000-m² multi-purpose complex, handed over in March 2008, is designed to enhance the retail mix of Eger and the surrounding area. The three-story facility built in the historic inner city of Eger, where the tobacco factory was once located, houses nearly 19,000 m² of shopping space, 1,600 m² of offices and 1,400 m² storage space. Constructed in accordance with the highest qualitative standards whilst also preserving some historic elements, Agria Park has an occupancy rate of nearly 100%, with iconic tenants such as Tesco, Douglas, DM or C&A. The Park has seen stable turnover since its opening, amounting to 5 billion HUF in 2008. Agria Park's large selection of events and services have also contributed to the center reaching 1.5 million visitors in 2008. In addition to active social and cultural engagement, the center also plays an active role in the life of the city. Financial support paid to the city last year exceeded 600 million HUF, and Agria Park provided jobs for 1000 mostly local people.
Agria Park is home to more than 100 shops and stores, including small 20-50-m² outlets, medium-sized 50-300-m² facilities and four or five large stores of 500-1,500 m². Fashion and clothing occupies the largest area, nearly 7,000 m², but retail outlets offering sports and entertainment products are also well represented. Agria Park's cultural and entertainment outlets offer recreational activities on 2,300 m². The region's most modern center also houses Eger's multiplex cinema with three screens, called the Cinema Agria, and provides an efficient solution to the city's parking problems with its covered 520-space car park. The 7,000-m² park adjoining to the center is not only suitable for leisure activities, but for hosting outdoor events as well.
Agria Park is a retail facility unlike any other in Hungary. It was awarded the "best shopping center development" award last year by the architectural and investment magazine Construction & Investment Journal (CiJ). According to the expert jury, the complex contributed greatly to reshaping the commercial layout of the town of Eger, established trust and provided impetus for similar developments elsewhere in Hungary. Special focus was placed during the development on creating value, as well as the preservation of historical values. Thus, the region's most modern retail complex is home to historic architectural elements such as historic columns, the Tobacco Museum, the Zsolnay fountain or the sundial. "We are delighted that even after one year, our first rural retail development is receiving positive feedback both from the industry as well as from visitors. I am certain that this is attributable to our philosophy of creating and preserving value, which is reflected in our projects," said Noah M. Steinberg, chairman and CEO of WING Zrt.
Source: Café PR
