Austrian property company Immoeast, a unit of Immofinanz, has acquired a shopping centre project in Costanta, Romania for an investment of EUR 185 mln. Construction of the 90,000-m[sup]2[/sup] space will begin in the summer of 2007, with completion expected in the autumn of 2008. The transaction is a forward purchase upon completion and letting of the property.

Austrian property company Immoeast, a unit of Immofinanz, has acquired a shopping centre project in Costanta, Romania for an investment of EUR 185 mln. Construction of the 90,000-m2 space will begin in the summer of 2007, with completion expected in the autumn of 2008. The transaction is a forward purchase upon completion and letting of the property.

Immoeast called the location of the shopping centre in Romania’s most important seaport and the second largest port in the European Union ‘extraordinarily attractive.’ TriGránit, the central European developer in which Immoeast acquired a 25% stake last summer, is developing the project. Some 40% of the space has already been let.Aside from a large food market and an international cinema operator, tenants will include fashion and retail chains.

'Romania is one of our most important investment locations,' said Immoeast Chairman Karl Petrikovics. 'We are the leading real estate investor of the country and since the prospects for the market are excellent, we will gradually strengthen our commitment even further.' Immoeast owns 40 properties in Romania with a total 2.13 million m2. The acquisition follows the purchase in November of the Polus Center Cluj shopping centre in the Romanian city of Cluj for EUR 210 mln.

Separately, Immofinanz said that it has teamed up with German real estate developer Frankonia Eurobau for a large-scale urban development project in Düsseldorf. The 'Gerichtshöfe' property, which houses the city’s major court, has been acquired and will be converted into a multi-functional space with new and old luxury residential buildings, high-quality offices, a luxury hotel and areas for restaurants, shops and recreation.

A total investment of EUR 260 mln is planned for the project, the third multifunctional urban development on which Immofinanz and Frankonia have joined forces. Regional and district courts will use the court property until 2009. Construction is set to begin the year after and will be completed in 2010.