Mediterranean Cosmos begins countdown to opening day on October 19, 2005

Thursday, May 19, 2005

PRESS RELEASE

Mediterranean Cosmos Begins Countdown to Opening Day on October 19, 2005!

Exclusive One-Day Opening for Greek and international retailers at the largest shopping & leisure centre in Northern Greece

Thessaloniki (Pylea), Greece – Mediterranean Cosmos, the first and largest shopping and leisure centre of its kind in Northern Greece, opened its doors for one day only, in order to provide a tour of its areas exclusively for key members of the Greek and international retail, business and political communities. The Grand Opening of Mediterranean Cosmos on October 19, 2005 was officially announced today, marking the beginning of a “new generation” of shopping centres in Greece. The countdown has also begun for all signed tenants, who will be working arduously from today to October 2005 to prepare for their individual store openings at Mediterranean Cosmos in order to welcome the 1.3 million visitors in the catchment area.

LAMDA Development (60.1%) and Sierra Charagionis (39.9%) have joined forces and invested approximately €100 million to develop a Centre that will redefine shopping and leisure for people of all ages, contributing to Thessaloniki’s socio-economic growth and development. With a capacity to house more than 200 shop units, Mediterranean Cosmos is expected to boost employment opportunities and to create more than 2,500 new jobs.

More than 70% of the Centre’s total Gross Leasable Area (GLA) has already been committed to local and international retailers. Mediterranean Cosmos anchor tenants include:

  • Village Roadshow Cinemas (11 screens and 2,811 seating capacity)

  • Village Bowling (16 lanes)

  • Inditex Group (ZARA, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Oysho, Stradivarius and ΖΑRA Home brands),

  • Grand Masoutis (hyper-market)

  • Multirama

Innovative services and facilities include: 3,000 free parking spots (125 parking spaces for the disabled), a kindergarten, baby changing and feeding rooms, an information desk, banks, pharmacy, dry cleaning, hair salon, photography and photoprint studio and full access of the Centre by disabled people - all of which will enhance the daily lives of residents and visitors in the region.

During today’s event, the Mediterranean Cosmos guests were welcomed by Greece’s “new generation of customers” who, with fast-paced lifestyles and continuously increasing expectations, are seeking conveniences, high-standards and quality products and services. Guests were entertained by dance performances, choreographed by renowned artist Konstantinos Rigas, demonstrating how Mediterranean Cosmos responds to the needs of modern customers in Greece by offering a diverse selection of shopping and leisure activities in an easily accessible, secure and comfortable environment.

The event also included presentations by Mr. Apostolos Tamvakakis, President of LAMDA Development, Mr. Theodoros Charagionis, CEO of Acropole Charagionis, Mr. Alvaro Portela, CEO of Sonae Sierra, Ms. Anna Apostolidou, General Manager of LAMDA Property Management, and Ms. Vanda Cordeiro, Centre Manager, Mediterranean Cosmos Property Management.

For more information, please contact:

For Athens:

CIVITAS.
Nectaria Metrakou: +30 210 6852400 (ext. 230), [email protected]

Maria Kanellopoulou: +30 210 6852400 (ext. 225), [email protected]

For Thessaloniki:

Advance
Ifigenia Tsirou: +30 2310 948090, [email protected]