Lisbon, September 17th 2008
Located in Leiria, Maia and Caldas
Sonae Sierra presents three new developments in Portugal
- A total investment of €212 million
- 3,000 new jobs to be created
- LeiriaShopping and Maia Jardim are already under construction
Sonae Sierra, the international specialist in shopping and leisure centres, has presented today three new projects for future Shopping and Leisure Centres in Leiria, Maia and Caldas da Rainha, representing a total investment of € 212 million.
The three new shopping centres - Maia Jardim (Maia), Centro Bordalo (Caldas da Rainha) and LeiriaShopping (Leiria) - will create about 3,000 new jobs.
Sonae Sierra will thus become present in the Leiria and Caldas da Rainha regions, and will also reinforce its offer in the Maia region, where it already owns MaiaShopping.
According to Álvaro Portela, Sonae Sierra's CEO, "these three new projects will allow us to consolidate our leadership in the Portuguese market, applying the most modern and innovative solutions developed by the Company in the conception and development of shopping and leisure centres, always respecting the local tastes and traditions".
LeiriaShopping: an (r)evolution in the offer of the region of Leiria
Scheduled to open in the spring of 2010, LeiriaShopping is the result of the expansion of the current Continente de Leiria Shopping Centre, and represents an investment of about € 74 million. The development will have 43,200 m2 of Gross Lettable Area (GLA), and will create about 900 new jobs.
LeiriaShopping will make available the finest shopping and leisure offer in the area, with a total of 108 shops, of which the Continente Hypermarket, Sportzone and Worten are already under operation. Of the 8 large dimension shops, we also highlight the seven Castello Lopes cinemas and C&A, as well as 16 restaurants e another 84 shops which will host a wide array of prestigious brands.
Located in an area with excellent access roads (A8, A17, IC2, N113 and N242), the new shopping and leisure centre will serve a population of 529,000 inhabitants in a 30 minutes catchment area, 80% of which are already clients of the current Continente Shopping Centre. With the opening of the new development, the scheduled number of visits per year is expected to grow from the current 5 million to 8 million, and sales are expected to reach € 77 million in the first year of activity. The parking lot will be free of charge and will have a capacity of 1,900 vehicles.
Inspired on the Leiria Pine Forest and the Ocean, LeiriaShopping will recreate, through its architecture and furnishing, the green coastal area in which it's inserted, using the different elements that characterize it: the scent of the Atlantic, the pine forests that provided the wood for the construction of the Discoveries' ships, the cliffs, the sailors, and the golden sands of its beaches.
The city of Leiria, commune headquarters and district capital, is 146 kilometres away from Lisbon and 71 kilometres away from Coimbra. Its central location is one of the main factors for the city's growth and economic development.
Currently, Leiria is one of the 25 largest urban centres in Portugal, with a young population (31% of the inhabitants are younger than 25 years old) with a high purchasing power: 41% belong to the A/B/C1 classes.
Centro Bordalo: Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro as the inspiration
Future shopping and leisure centre Centro Bordalo, in Caldas da Rainha, is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2010, and represents an investment of € 56 million. A major step towards the modernization of the shopping and leisure offer in the Caldas da Rainha region, this new Sonae Sierra shopping and leisure centre should created about 700 new jobs.
With a Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of 24.000 m2 (including the existing Modelo supermarket), the new centre will make available a total of 95 shops, seven of which of large dimensions, like C&A and the Castello Lopes cinemas, and also 14 restaurants and 73 other shops.
Located in a region with a population of about 199,000 people in a 20 minutes catchment area, Centro Bordalo is scheduled to welcome 6.2 million visits and reach € 58 million in sales (excluding the hypermarket) in the first full year under operation.
The new shopping and leisure centre has a diversified network of access roads which includes the A8, A15, N8, N114 and N115. The parking lot in the new Shopping and Leisure Centre will be free of charge and will have a 1,100 vehicle capacity.
The project is signed by architect José Quintela da Fonseca and will be inspired by artist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. With that in mind, Sonae Sierra has developed a cooperation protocol with Faianças Artísticas Bordalo Pinheiro, Lda, aimed at associating the image and the products of the factory inaugurated in 1884 to the shopping centre.
Maia Jardim: a centre in the heart of Maia
Maia Jardim, owned by Sonae Distribuição and currently being developed by Sonae Sierra, is scheduled to be inaugurated in the beginning of 2010, and represents an investment of € 82 million. This new project reinforces the commercial offer of the region, where Sonae Sierra already owns and manages MaiaShopping.
With a Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of 31,000 m2, the new shopping and leisure centre will make available a total of 100 shops, seven of which of large dimensions, including a Continente Hypermarket, Worten, Sportzone and Castello Lopes Cinemas, and also 17 restaurants and 76 satellite shops. The new Shopping Centre will also make available 1,400 parking spaces.
Located in a region with a high population density, Maia Jardim will serve a population of about 261,000 people in a 20 minutes catchment area, and is expected to welcome 6.9 annual visits and reach a total of € 58,3 million in annual sales. This new development should generate, after its opening, a total of 1,400 new jobs.
Safety and environmental quality
Like in all shopping and leisure centres developed by Sonae Sierra, these three centres were designed according to Sonae Sierra's Environmental Management System, so as to fulfil the most rigorous and demanding quality standards the Company sets for all of its developments, namely in terms of comfort, safety and environmental protection.
These new developments will feature the most sophisticated solutions on areas such as the separation and treatment of waste, or the monitoring of water and air qualify, and the and the energy management and savings system is fully computerized (BMS - Building Management System).
Sonae Sierra is an international shopping centre specialist, with a passion for bringing innovation and excitement to the shopping and leisure centre industry. The Company owns 48 Shopping Centres in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 1.9 million m2. Sonae Sierra has 18 projects under development and 13 new projects in different phases of completion in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil with a total GLA of 1.2 million m2. In 2007, its centres welcomed more than 410 million visits.