Shopping centre Sun Plaza wins two awards and sets world record

Corporate news

CIJ Awards for “Best Shopping Center Development” and “Best Overall Development” for Sun Plaza.

The shopping centre Sun Plaza in Bucharest – a complex belonging to Austrian stock exchange listed Sparkassen Immobilien AG – opened its doors on 25 February 2010 and received two CIJ Awards in the categories “Best Shopping Center Development” and “Best Overall Development” on 8 December 2010. Furthermore Sun Plaza has established a new official world record: the 444,658 lights inside the shopping centre constitute the world’s largest Christmas lights display in an indoor venue.

With 130 shops in more than 80,000 m2 of space, it is Romania’s biggest shopping centre. Shoppers can choose between numerous internationally renowned brands, and the shopping centre also boasts a food court seating 1,200, the country’s biggest cinema with 15 screens, a kindergarten and a sports centre.

2 Awards: Best Shopping Center Development and Best Overall Development

The awards ceremony for this year’s CIJ Awards was held on 8 December in Bucharest. Every year CEE CIJ, the region’s leading real estate magazine, awards prizes in various categories: there were prizes for the best projects in 2010, for the developer of the year, and for the project management team of the year.

Sparkassen Immobilien AG was nominated in the categories “Best Shopping Center Development” and “Best Overall Development”. The judges were impressed by Sun Plaza’s excellent mix of retailers, its original architecture and its own direct access to the underground system. At a gala event, Sparkassen Immobilien AG’s representatives were proud to accept the awards. Friedrich Wachernig, member of Sparkassen Immobilien AG’s Management Board, is really pleased with the awards: “Recognition by a panel of your peers is always a special distinction. We are happy that our project has convinced not only our tenants and customers but also professionals in the industry.

Entry in Guinness Book of Records

The Christmas lights opening ceremony took place in front of more than 1,000 onlookers in the shopping centre’s forecourt. The lights were turned on at the end of November, in the presence of Christian Popescu Piedone, the Mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 4, TV star Laura Cosoi and the winner of a radio prize draw.

Friedrich Wachernig: “Sun Plaza’s world record comes at the start of the holiday season – the most important time of the year for shopping centres, when approximately one fifth of the year's sales are made. The outstanding tenant mix, the comprehensive recreational offers and the excellent transport links make us confident that many people will do their Christmas shopping in Sun Plaza – and the world’s largest indoor Christmas lighting display will surely play its part as well.”