A contract has been signed with Renaissance Development, the owners of Aura, a chain of shopping and leisure centers.
ECE Russland will provide a full range of Property Management services, including brokerage, operations management, control of repairs and maintenance, and developing and implementing a marketing strategy for the center.
Aura Shopping Center opened in 2012 and is one of Surgut’s biggest shopping and leisure centers, with a gross area of 98,000 sqm, of which 65,000 sqm is leasable. 98% of its space is occupied, with more than 200 retailers represented. Among the project’s anchor tenants are the food hypermarket O'Key, hardware and electronics store Media Markt, eight-screen Karo Film cinema, and entertainment center Kosmik. Aura has Surgut’s only single-brand Max Mara, Lacoste, Koton and LC Waikiki stores, while well-known trends including Zara, H&M, Calvin Klein Jeans and Adidas can also be found there. The center has ample parking for 2,500 vehicles.
Mr Levent G. Yarcan, Asset Management Director at Renaissance Development, said: “Competition in the retail property market has increased significantly, so the project’s success in the new conditions much depends on competent management of the shopping center. Renaissance Development and ECE Russland are linked by their positive history of cooperation on an Aura project in Yaroslavl, which was the deciding factor when engaging the company for the work in Surgut as well. We are confident that together with ECE Russland we will be able to strengthen the Aura Center’s position in the local retail market.”
Commenting on the deal, ECE Russland Managing Director Stefan Zeiselmaier said: “We are delighted with this expansion of our partnership with Renaissance Development, which is a strategic step in the development of our companies. Aura Shopping Center is one of Surgut’s leading shopping centers, and has excellent prospects for increasing visitor numbers and profitability. I believe that the professionalism of ECE Russland team and the global experience we have built up in retail property management will enable us to make this property even more attractive to tenants and end customers.”