Romanian developer Nova Imobiliare has started construction of the Colosseum Shopping Centre in Bucharest, Romania, the only shopping centre that will be delivered in the city in 2011. Colosseum is located in the north-west of the city and has total investment value i excess of EUR 350 mln.

Romanian developer Nova Imobiliare has started construction of the Colosseum Shopping Centre in Bucharest, Romania, the only shopping centre that will be delivered in the city in 2011. Colosseum is located in the north-west of the city and has total investment value i excess of EUR 350 mln.

The complex will be built in two phases, with the first phase including a 53,000 m2 retail park of which 70% is already leased to anchors Leroy Merlin DIY, hypermarket Carrefour and electronics retailers Altex and Flanco.

The 20,000 m2 Leroy Merlin store, its first in Romania, will open in summer 2011. Leroy Merlin, a member of French group Adeo and ranked fourth in the global DIY market, owns 236 stores in France, Brazil, China, Spain, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Russia.

Carrefour will occupy a store of 12,850 m2 and will open its doors in the second half of 2011, as will the retail gallery for which a number of leases have been signed.

The second phase will include a 137,000 m2 mall hosting over 480 stores, 10,000 parking places, a 1,500-seat food court, a state-of-the-art 12-screen cinema, a 20-lane bowling alley and a fresh food market. The space is available for pre-letting.

King Sturge has been advising the developers on the Colosseum Shopping Centre since 2006 and has been actively involved in securing the initial anchors for the scheme. Jones Lang LaSalle is the joint agent on the shopping centre.