Press Release - April 15th 2003
Sonae Imobiliária and Grupo Eroski invest 77 million euros in new project
‘Luz del Tajo', a shopping and leisure centre in the image of Toledo
An innovative reinterpretation of the light and spirit of the three cultures that coexist in Toledo - Christian. Arab and Jewish - will be the main differentiating factor of the ‘Luz del Tajo', the first shopping and leisure centre of this neighbouring city of Madrid, developed by Sonae Imobiliária and Grupo Eroski.
Representing a global investment of 77 million euros, the ‘Luz del Tajo' will set a new example of total landscape integration, allowing the citizens of Toledo an immediate identification with the city's architectural principles and values. The new shopping area will serve the 200 thousand inhabitants of Toledo and its catchment area, and there is an estimate of more than 5 million visits/year.
With a construction period that starts late this April and ends in October 2004, the ‘Luz del Tajo' will host a total of 130 shops, set in a 36 thousand m2 GLA, in three storeys.
The anchor-shops in the new Centre will be an Eroski hypermarket, with an 8 thousand m2 sales area, 8 last generation cinemas and a family entertainment centre.
Other attraction poles will be several areas dedicated to fashion, do-it-yourself, home appliances and sports, and the presence of important brands such as Zara, Brska, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Often, Kiddy's Class, Zara Hogar and Oysho (fashion);
McDonald's, Burger King and Foster's Hollywood (restaurants); Forum, with 1000 m2
(sports); and Medimax, with 1200 m2 (home appliances) is guaranteed.
Despite the presence of these prestigious brands, one of the priorities of the developers was to ensure that the Toledo entrepreneurs had access to the new commercial area, seeking to have an important representation of Toledo's commerce, and thus to provide visitor access to this historic city's traditional offer.
In environmental terms, there is a special care with the tree area where the new centre will be located, namely by scheduling its transplantation during the construction period and, later placing them in the surface parking area.
An example of landscape integration
The entire ‘Luz del Tajo' development project is based on the recreation of a medieval city, with spaced columns entrances, angular designs and spacious terraces, displaying a remarkable conjugation of symbols and icons from the three cultures and the functionality demanded from a space that will be visited by thousands of people on a daily basis.
Noble materials will be employed, such as stones, ceramics, aged tiles, wood and iron, and the colours will be based on the colour coding of the traditional Toledo buildings.
The lighting is one of the especially relevant factors, and it was studied so as not to harm, under any circumstances, the city's night lighting system.