PHOTO: Is Zagreb Really A Shopping Metropolis?
Shopping centres are growing like mushrooms after rain, but there are still not enough to satisfy people's needs. Here is how it started.
Although several shopping centres opened in Zagreb in the last years, according to the last Croatian Chamber of Economy’s research, there are however too little of them in relation to the number of inhabitants in the Croatian capital, but also in the whole country.
For each Czech, for example, there are four times more shopping centre square meters than there are for each Croatian citizen, who disposes of 50 shopping centre square meters in total.
In this year’s autumn spirit, through which Zagreb received two more big shopping centres, Avenue Mall in Siget neighbourhood (Novi Zagreb) and Mandi in Zitnjak neighbourhood, we went back to the beginning of the 90s to remember how it all happened.
The shopping mania, in the newly established capitalist Croatian state, started in 1994 with the opening of the sensational Importanne Centar in Ante Starcevic Square, which marked some kind of gradual “goodbye” to the former leading shopping destinations in Trieste and Graz.
Importanne Centar and Galleria – the first ones in Zagreb
Ciril Zovko, a businessman from Herzegovina, who came back from Canada, opened Importanne Centar in Zagreb in 1994, which is just a small part of his entrepreneurial empire called Importanne Grupa. The first big shopping centre in Croatia extends over a surface of 31,000 square meters, and it was opened on the day of Pope John Paul II’s first visit to Croatia.
Five years later, Zvonko opened also Importanne Galleria in Ilberov Suqare. The new shopping centre is spaced on 14 floors, three of which are for shopping.
Centar Kaptol – The first one to have a multiplex cinema
On St. Valentine’s day 2000, the biggest shopping-residential complex till then in Croatia, was built over an area of 40,000 square meters and connecting Tkalciceva St. and Nova Ves.
On the area occupied by the former shoe factory Astra, now you can also find the first multiplex cinema, the popular Broadway-Tklaca, with five movie halls and bars became a popular place for nights out due to its attractive location in the centre.
King Cross – centre with free playrooms for children
A new paradise for “shopaholics” arrived two and a half years later in Skorpikova Street in Jankomir neighbourhood. King Cross, which can be mentioned for the insufficient road connections with the rest of the town, is the biggest shopping centre in Zagreb.
It was the first to have a booking office for invalids, and, among facilities, there are free playrooms for children, and also a public laundry.
Branimir Centar – luxury with casino and life style hotel
In the area of the former Kras factory, between the bus station and main train station, Branimir Centar was opened in December 2003.
With its new shopping centre in Branimirova Street, Zagreb received its second multiplex cinema, CineStar, with 13 movie halls, and also the first four star life style hotel in Zagreb, Arcotel.
Here you can also find a big slot machine club, Wettpunkt, and the casino is open 24 hours every day.
City Center One – a 100 million euro investment
Third by investment value, shopping centre City Center One was open in Croatia in 2006 in Jankomir, four years after King Cross. More that 100 million euros were invested in it, with more than 1,200 employees.
Avenue Mall – the first one across the Sava
Avenue Mall’s direction wanted the opening day to be connected with some date, and so they chose August 22, birthday of the first man who crossed the river Sava with his urban plans, Veceslav Holjevac.
Nevertheless, the works were delayed, and the Novi Zagreb shopping centre, worth 69 million euros, was opened “helter-skelter” a week later.
A multiplex cinema with 9 movie halls opened with two months delay in Avenue Mall.
Mandi – centre with apartment simulators for a simpler furniture shopping
The last shopping centre that was opened in October in Zagreb is situated in Zitnjak neighbourhood, and Italian businessman Zampariniinvested 50 million euros in it. Zamparini is better known as the former owner of Mercatone, which he sold to his French working partner and owner of the Palermo football club in 2003.
One third of the centre’s area is occupied by a selling space with furniture and accessories for house furnishing, and here a complete assortment is exhibited in an apartment simulator.
Apart from the already mentioned big shopping centres, people from Zagreb can also shop in smaller and less notorious ones in their neighbourhoods. These are shopping centres Precko, Vrbani, Antunovic in Spansko and Momentum/Lantea in Dubrava.
Planning to build the biggest centre in the area - Zagreb City Center Laniste
Despite the big number of centres that opened in Zagreb within a short time, the size limitations leads to an insufficient provision of merchandise. It often happens that boutiques, even those of famous brands, rarely buy new articles, and so also the offer is half way.
Maybe the situation in shopping centres will improve when the competition increases. This could happen very soon, because there is a plan to build a new big Zagreb City Centre Laniste, immediately next to the river Sava. This shopping centre should be one of the biggest regional shopping and amusement centres in Croatia.
In the Zagrepcanka St. and Heizelova St. part of the building site, which will remain in the city’s ownership, the city of Zagreb will start the Zagreb City Centre project. Skyscrapers with approximately 3,000 apartments, a shopping centre, gardens, conference halls and a multimedia centre will be build in this area.
Shopping centre doors open also on Sunday afternoon
All the big city shopping centres are open till 9 p.m. on working days, apart from Avenue Mall, open until 10 p.m. including Sundays.
Importanne Centar and Importanne Galleria are closed on Sunday. King Cross is open until 7 p.m. and Mandi until 8 p.m. After new Zagreb Avenue Mall, the shopping centre which stays open the longest on Sunday is City Center One that closes at 9 p.m.
Thanks to the newly open centres in Zagreb, the number of those who decide to spend their kunas in Italian and Austrian cities, which are still very attended destinations, will be even smaller.
See photos of the shopping centres in our.
Javno - Croatia
Importanne Centar was opened in 1994 in Ante Starcevica Square.
Follows Importanne Galleria in Iblerov Square, opened in 1999
Centar Kaptol was opened on St. Valentine's day in 2000.
King Cross in Jankomir neighbourhood.
Branimir Centar was opened on the area of former Kras factory.
Novi Zagreb got Avenue Mall in August 2007.
Mandi centre in Zitnjak neighbourhood is last in the row of Zagreb's shopping centres
Zagreb City Center Laniste will be the region's biggest shopping centre.
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