Grand Opening of the Designer Outlet Croatia
On Thursday, 21 June, 5 pm, the eagerly anticipated opening of Designer Outlet Croatia, the new premium outlet village for Croatia, was celebrated with a pink ribbon-cutting ceremony. Representatives of the investors, operator and authorities, as well as famous singer Severina, attended the grand opening.
The Designer Outlet Croatia has a gross lettable area (GLA) of 15,000 sqm and is a joint venture of IKEA Centres and Swiss Mutschler Outlet Holding AG, which invested 33 million euros in the first phase of its construction. With the opening of the new outlet, located opposite IKEA store Zagreb, in Rugvica commercial zone, more than 400 new jobs were created. A second phase is planned for the coming years and will grow the centre up to 25,000 sqm with approximately 150 shops.
MORE THAN 100 FASHION AND LIFESTYLE BRANDS WELCOMED FIRST VISITORS
The centre features more than 100 international fashion and lifestyle brands including Armani Exchange,
Superdry, Guess, Gant, Adidas, Under Armour and with more great names like Tommy Hilfiger, Pepe Jeans, Calvin Klein to follow in the coming months – all offering savings 30% to 70%, all year round. The centre features also some Croatia’s design, like Xenia Design and Hippy Garden. Culinary delights and refreshments are ensured by Mlinar, Leggiero, Greenbar, and Ali Kebaba.
'Designer Outlet Croatia is a unique project and we are really proud that we open today more than 50 shops. We achieved occupancy rate of 70%, which will additionally grow to 85% until November, clearly showing the need and quality of this project. With the planned second phase of the centre and additional complementary retail the investment will group up to 88 million. There is also a small farmers' market within the outlet. It mainly includes products of farmers around Rugvica and it will, we believe, additionally encourage the development of the local community', pointed out Branko Mihajlov, the Director of Designer Outlet Croatia.
EUROPEAN OUTLET STANDARDS FOR CROATIA
'Designer Outlet Croatia is a different retail concept in Croatia. Currently only big cities and important tourist towns have outlet centres to attract visitors form further away. Together with our brand partners and IKEA we are aiming to become the most favourite shopping destination in South Eastern Europe at the cross roads of Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to mention, that we will bring European outlet standards to Croatia fulfilling our customer expectations and offering a unique outlet shopping experience', said Thomas Reichenauer, founder and Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping.
Together with its commercial offer, the Designer Outlet Croatia offers a lot of customer services like Center Information, Kids Cars, Free Wi-Fi, Gift cards, mobile charger, baby care room, exchange office, chill out zones, terraces and a playground area in the future. For easy access services also include 2,500 free parking spaces and public transport links with IKEA.
SUSTAINABLE PREMIUM VILLAGE ARCHITECTURE
Designer Outlet Croatia is one of the first retail objects in Croatia with the international certificate for green building BREEAM. The project thus includes many sustainable elements such as the use of geothermal energy, LED lighting, solar panels on the roof, rainwater collection and its reuse for irrigation and washing surfaces as well as an electric car charger.
The architecture of the new shopping destination is inspired by Croatian regions. Visitors can find a replica of Dubrovnik City Bell Tower, take a walk through Dalmatian streets and find the Lotrščak Tower or simply enjoy the view of lively colored facades resembling the architecture of Zagreb.
The grand opening of Designer Outlet Croatia, which began with a press conference, was attended by Nataša Mikuš Žigman, state secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts in the role of the representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb County prefect Stjepan Kožić and the mayor of the municipality of Rugvica Mato Čičak. They were joined by the representatives of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Croatian Employers’ Association and Zagreb County Tourist Board as well as representatives of the investors - Sylvie Mutschler, the director of Swiss Mutschler Outlet Holding AG and Vladislav Lalić, Property & Expansion Manager IKEA South East Europe
Due to the opening, from 22 to 24 June, Designer Outlet Croatia will be opened from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.