Hypermarkets give malls a boost, but for some projects the support is not enough
For most mall developers, this year's main concern was to
attract a hypermarket among tenants, a prerequisite at present for
a possible opening. For some projects, though, this is not
enough.
The shopping centre market seems to be slightly signalling a
thaw-up: GTC yesterday announced it signed a contract with Cora
network for the opening of a hypermarket in Galleria project of
Arad, while two weeks ago businessman Iulian Dascălu announced the
rental of a 5,300-sqm space in Palas Iaşi by French Auchan.
The expansion plans of some hypermarkets such as Cora and Auchan,
with a more conservative approach during the real estate boom, are
still providing real estate developers with work, as sealing a
contract with these retailers substantially boosts the project
pre-rental degree, given the large contracted areas.
At the same time, hypermarkets have coped with a lower sales
decline than electronic home appliances or apparel networks and the
presence of such a store daily attracts several thousand clients,
which can turn into customers for the other retailers, as
well.