Munich - October 9th 2007
"European Property Awards 2007"
Sonae Sierra internationally acknowledged as the best company in the Shopping Centre sector
Sonae Sierra was acknowledged again, yesterday night, as the best company operating in Europe in the development of shopping centres, by the jury of the "European Property Awards 2007". With the purpose of distinguishing the best companies in the European real estate sector, the awards are promoted by the real estate magazines "Property Week" (U.K.) and "Immobilien Zeitung" (Germany), as well as the Expo Real Munich fair that is currently happening in Munich.
The jury of the "European Retail/Leisure Developer of the year" award considered Sonae Sierra the company that stood out the most in the European shopping centre market in 2007, particularly for the introduction of innovative concepts in the sector. ECE (Germany), Foruminvest (Belgium), Multi Development (Netherlands) and Westfield (Australia) were the other companies nominated for the award.
The jury was composed of European real estate journalists, and Board members of the main Real Estate companies and Banks in Europe.
Álvaro Portela, Sonae Sierra's CEO, stated: "this award brings us a special satisfaction, since it demonstrates that the work carried out by Sonae Sierra Team in the development of Shopping and Leisure Centres is acknowledged by the main European specialists in the sector as a company that specializes in shopping centre development, we know that our passion for innovation forces us to set a path for the future for shopping centres that anticipates the citizens' demands", he added.
Gathering up until now the most international awards in the sector, Sonae Sierra is pleased to see its efforts in the development of shopping centres acknowledged. This effort translates into the introduction of the latest state of the art design and architecture, new management systems, the implementation of original marketing and communication actions, as well as Sonae Sierra compromise with Sustainability trough the implementation of an innovative Corporate Responsibility management system.
Sonae Sierra, www.sonaesierra.com, is an international shopping centre specialist, with a passion for bringing innovation and excitement to the shopping and leisure centre industry. The Company owns 46 Shopping Centres and 1 Retail Park in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 1,8 million m2. Currently, Sonae Sierra is developing 12 more projects in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Brazil, with a total GLA of more than 400.000 m2. In 2006, its centres welcomed more than 402 million visits.