Haskovo Mall To Cost 22m Euro

Bulgarian firm Marsa plans to invest 22 million euro on Haskovo Mall, the first shopping centre of its kind in the southern Bulgarian town, investor.bg reported.

The company has already secured a 4800 sq m plot some four kilometres from the town centre, in an area that is already shaping up as a major shopping district with several household appliance retailers and car dealerships, as well as convenient access.

Haskovo Mall will have a built-up area of 20 000 sq m, featuring four storeys of stores, restaurants, cinema halls and a supermarket, as well as a two-level underground parking lot.

"The size of the mall reflects that of the town and the area," Marsa shareholder Temelko Pampov said, as quoted by investor.bg.

The catchment area of the mall is 200 000 people, mainly from Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad and Kurdjali municipalities, but the developers of the project are also counting on Greek and Turkish nationals, who often pass through the town, as potential clients.

"We picked Haskovo because there is not enough commercial space in the town and the region, while high-end and mid-range restaurant chains are not present in the area either," Marsa chief executive Krassimir Krustov said.

Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year and completed in mid-2010. The rental prices are yet to be decided upon, although it was certain that the development would target high-end and mid-range brands, according to Krassimir Dimitrov from Source Real Estate Advisers, the firm picked to consult the project and serve as the exclusive rental agent.

Mall Haskovo joins the long list of similar developments in other town serving as regional administrative centres, following projects announced in Gabrovo, Pleven, Rousse, Stara Zagora and Kurdjali.propertywisebulgaria.com