Berlin, 11th September 2007
Berlin's Alexanderplatz is one attraction richer
Shopping and leisure centre ALEXA opens to the public tomorrow
-
A €290 million investment, which creates 1000 new jobs
-
178 shops on 56,200 m² GLA
-
9 million visits per year expected
Sierra and Foncière Euris inaugurate today in Berlin, the ALEXA Shopping and Leisure centre, with the presence of Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit.
The innovative development owned in equal shares by the partners represents an investment of €290 million, and will open its doors to the public tomorrow, 12th September 2007, creating 1,000 new jobs.
"We are delighted with the opportunity to revive the historical Alexanderplatz. During the entire planning process we were acutely aware of the fact that we have to create something very special at this location which is so important for the city," explains Álvaro Portela, CEO of Sonae Sierra. ALEXA is the first shopping centre in Germany jointly planned and built by Sonae Sierra and Foncière Euris. "We are introducing ourselves to German customers with ALEXA. We are looking forward to presenting Berlin's citizens and the city's countless tourists who visit Alexanderplatz day in day out our high quality standards in architecture, product selection and entertainment," adds Pierre Féraud, CEO of Foncière Euris.
A complete offer for all
ALEXA blends shopping and entertainment perfectly. Visitors can enjoy 56,200 m² of shopping space (GLA), 13,000 m² mall spaces and parking facilities for 1,600 cars. 178 shops offer a broad range of products. Shops operated by chains such as Edeka - Reichelt, Zara, Rossmann, Thalia, Intersport, H&M, ESPRIT, WE Fashion, S.Oliver, Roland Shoes, Deichmann, Smyk and Douglas are at home in ALEXA, as much as numerous smaller shops offering high-end goods has 26% of the GLA has been let to tenants from Berlin and surrounding areas. Its innovative entertainment concept includes Kindercity, the educational and play area for children, as well as "Loxx", a delight for miniature train lovers where, among other things, visitors can admire miniature models of Berlin's "SBahn" trams and other trains in a scale of 1:87.
Twenties-style innovative architecture
's architecture harks back to the "Art deco" style which dominated department stores at Alexanderplatz in the 1920s. ALEXA seamlessly picks up on the boom time of this historic location. "ALEXA's architecture and design have their very own style, offering an exceptional setting for a personal leisure experience - unique, international, and cosmopolitan" explains Sonae Sierra Chief Design Officer, José Quintela. "It is immensely important to Sonae Sierra to integrate every shopping centre into its environment. And with ALEXA we have successfully revived the Berlin tradition."
Construction in compliance with eco-standards
ALEXA, at Berliner Alexanderplatz, is the first shopping centre construction site in Germany to obtain, during its construction stage, the ISO 14001 environmental certification, which refers to the management of the construction process.
Issued by Loyd`s Register Quality Association (LRQA), this certification is the result of the implementation of the best practises in environmental management during construction, defined in the scope of Sonae Sierra's Environmental Management System, which aims at minimizing the environmental impacts and promoting a continuous improvement of our performance in this area.
The implemented system answers environmental questions that have been identified in the daily management of the construction work, managing them in an eco-efficient manner. The consumption of natural resources - water, energy, fuels and raw materials, the noise, the discharging of residual waters and the management of waste produced are some of the aspects taken into account when defining the procedures that regulate the construction work.
First of a new generation of Shopping Centres
"ALEXA is our flagship project for the German market," explains Thomas Binder, in charge of development at Sonae Sierra in Germany. "Our plans are ambitious. We want to win over our customers with quality, innovation and new concepts. Our current investment volume amounts to several hundred million euros. Currently we are developing another shopping and leisure centre in Weiterstadt, also in partnership with Foncière Euris, and looking for several other opportunities to develop innovative shopping and leisure centres."
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 45 Shopping Centres in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 1,7 million m2. Currently, Sonae Sierra is developing 14 more projects in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Brazil, with a total GLA of more than 500.000 m2. In 2006, its centres welcomed more than 402 million visits.
Foncière Euris specialises in the development of shopping and leisure centres in Europe. The company forms alliances with top-quality developers to invest in major projects that help revitalise urban areas. Major developments include the Carré de Soie project on the outskirts of Lyon, the Beaugrenelle shopping centre in Paris and the Manufaktura programme in Lodz, Poland. Foncière Euris S.A. is a subsidiary of the Euris Group, which also controls the Casino Group, France's second largest retail chain listed on the stock exchange.