LUZ DEL TAJO, TOLEDO'S FIRST SHOPPING AND LEISURE CENTRE, OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLIC TOMORROW

• 130 shops, including an Eroski hypermarket, 10 Cinesur cinemas, and Bricocking, Medimax, Forum, Zara and Sfera.
• 6,5 million visits, and €73 million in sales expected for the first year of operation
• The centre opens with about 96% of its commercial surface already committed.
• Luz del Tajo has created 2000 direct jobs in the area. 43 shops are occupied by local tenants.

Toledo, September 27th  2004 - Starting at  10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 28th  2004, the doors of Luz del Tajo, Toledo's first shopping and leisure centre, will be open to the public. Luz del Tajo has been developed by Sonae Imobiliária (65%), a leading European company in the shopping centre business, and the Eroski Group (35%). The investment in the centre reaches €77 million.

Luz del Tajo has a total of 130 shops, 100 of which - 96% of the centre's commercial surface are already let. This figure shows the high interest Toledo's first shopping and leisure centre has aroused, both among the local shopkeepers and the big national and international companies.

The  centre's  anchors  are  an  Eroski  Hypermarket  with  an  8000m2  sales  surface,  10  last generation Cinesur Cinemas with  1950 seats, and the large shops Bricoking  (DIY), Forum (Sports), Medimax (Home Appliances), Zara and Sfera (Fashion). Surrounding these anchors are 22 bars and restaurants and 100 shops.

In  terms  of  fashion,  Luz  del  Tajo  has  most  of  the  Inditex  Group  brands  (Massimo  Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Zara Home) as well as Benetton, Springfield, Mango, Women's Secret, Tintoretto, or Lacoste among others.

In the restaurant area, brands such as Cañas y Tapas, Foster Hollywood, Burguer King, Mc Donald´s, Pasta Café and Cantina Mariachi.

Other  brands  present  in  the  Luz  del  Tajo  are  Décimas,  Loja  do  Gato  Preto,  Perfumes  & Compañía, Casa, Calzedonia,  Paseo  Maritime, Fonoespacio, The Glow Store,  Swatch,  Sun Planet, Marpiel, etc.

Of the total shops opening with Luz del Tajo, 43 are managed by local shopkeepers, with their own  shops  or  franchises.  This  numbers  demonstrates  the  level  involvement  of  the  local commerce with the new centre.

Luz del Tajo's location, in the  "Toledo" Polygon, accessible by the N-400, has a catchment area of 81.000 people 10 minutes away, and 240.000 people less than 30 minutes away by car. The centre has a free parking lot with 2.100 spaces.

Luz del Tajo is scheduled to receive about 6,5 million visits per year. The estimated sales for the first year of operation reach €73.000.000, excluding the hypermarket.

Luz  del  Tajo  will  create 2.000  direct  jobs.  The  centre's  management  will  be  the  direct responsibility  of  Sonae  Imobiliária  through  its  Spanish  subsidiary,  Consultoría  de  Centros Comerciales (CCC).

A centre integrated in its surroundings

The architectural design of the Luz del Tajo, created by an international team of specialists, lead by José Quintela da Fonseca, from Sonae Imobiliária, recreates the spirit of the city of Toledo, through the use of colours, materials and the prevalence of natural light. The design reinterprets elements from the Christian, Arab and Jewish cultures. Luz del Tajo was designed to be a centre integrated in the city of Toledo, taking its light and noble materials into account.

A Green Shopping Centre

Just  like  all  other  Sonae  Imobiliária  Centres,  the "Luz  del  Tajo"  has  an  Environmental Management System which regulates environmental practises in areas such as energy saving, transportation, water treatment, contamination, resource use, selection and use of materials, ecology and health.

With this purpose, the Centre will have a fully computerized system named BMS  - Building Management System, intended to control energy savings, with a system for the pre-treatment of residues with different containers for fat and hydrocarbons, timers in all public taps and the fitting of filters in all kitchen extraction systems in the restaurant area.

International Expansion

Sonae Imobiliária has already inaugurated two shopping and leisure centre in Spain in  2004, the Dos Mares in San Javier-Murcia and the Avenida M40 in Madrid.

By the  end  of  this  year  Sonae  Imobiliária  will  have  inaugurated,  besides  the  Luz  del  Tajo, Shopping and Leisure Centre Zubiarte, in Bilbao, consolidating its presence in Spain with a total of  10 shopping and leisure centres representing  450.000m2 of gross lettable area and more than 1250 tenants.

In 2005 Sonae Imobiliária is scheduled to inaugurate the Plaza Éboli, in Pinto-Madrid, and the Plaza Mayor Shopping in Malaga by the Plaza Mayor Leisure Centre, inaugurated in 2002.