ICSC launches Serbian National Committee

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) has announced the establishment of a European National Committee in Serbia to support the growing retail development opportunities in the country.

The Serbian National Committee will help to support the country's growing shopping centre industry and offer industry professionals from across the world an expert source on new opportunities for investment and development within that country, ICSC said in a statement.

Ermine Amies, managing director of ICSC in Europe, said: 'At a variety of ICSC events across Europe, companies operating in Serbia have been expressing their wish to develop their own national committee to support this growing sector in their country. We are delighted to help sent this up and plan to launch the ICSC Serbian National Committee in Belgrade in February 2009.'

The Serbian National Committee will follow this event with a series of smaller events and seminars focusing on specialist areas such as marketing and leasing. The Committee, which has representatives from the biggest retail real estate companies operating in the region, also plans to develop greater co-operation with state institutions and media in the country in order to help them understand how the shopping centre industry can help drive the economy, setting up lobbying groups where the committee feels it will benefit members.

'We want the ICSC Serbian National Committee to be the first organization the Governments and media come to for information and industry knowledge,' said Ermine.