Located three kilometres west of Skopje city centre with convenient transport links, Skopje City Mall is the first shopping and entertainment centre of its size and quality in the Macedonian capital and in the country.
With a total area of 86,000 square metres, Skopje City Mall will comprise some 130 shop units on three levels anchored by a 4,600 square metre Carrefour hypermarket and a multi-storey and underground car park with around 1,200 parking spaces.
As well as Carrefour, Cineplexx and Inditex – which will operate stores under the Zara brand and several other of its labels – the mall will feature retailers such as German fashion chain New Yorker and electronics specialist Neptun.
In Skopje City Mall, where stores run by the Spanish fashion giant and the French hypermarket chain will be among some 130 shops. The mall will also include a multiscreen cinema operated by Austrian movie theatre company Cineplexx.
As well as attracting major international brands to the Macedonian market for the first time and creating some 2,000 jobs, Skopje City Mall is notable for its use of advanced energy efficient technologies that will limit its carbon footprint.
Last year, the EBRD provided a €18.9 million loan to help finance the development, construction and operation of the mall. It extended the loan to Balfin Finance B.V., a holding company jointly owned by Albanian commercial real estate developer Balfin and Macedonian fashion retailer Fashion Group. Balfin Finance B.V. owns the project developer, Balfin MK d.o.o.
“This is the EBRD’s first investment in the emerging Macedonian property and retail sector,” Claudia Pendred, EBRD Director for Property and Tourism, said at the opening ceremony. "We are pleased to have supported this important project for Skopje at a time when commercial debt financing remains limited and to have encouraged higher energy efficiency standards in the Macedonian retail sector."
