The extension of Eurovea (source: Courtesy of Eurovea)
Eurovea is set to become Slovakia’s largest shopping centre at the end of this month – taking the top spot from Nivy Station - when it opens its extension on the Danube river’s embankment in Bratislava.
Until a few years ago, the biggest shopping centre in Bratislava was the 65,000-square-metre Avion complex near Bratislava airport, which included the Ikea furniture department store.
But it lost its crown when the Nivy bus station, which is combined with a shopping centre boasting a total sales area of 70,000 square metres, opened in 2021.
Eurovea’s extension will add 26,000 m2 to the existing rental area of 59,000 m2. Over a total of 85,000 m2, Eurovea will be home to 320 stores and restaurants, cafés and other food outlets.
The riverside retail centre has reported a 95-percent occupancy rate for new commercial premises in its extension.
Amphitheatre seating and 17 cinema movie theatres
The shopping centre is expecting Primark to draw people to its expanded premises. Apart from this popular fast fashion retailer, Eurovea will also be home to Nike, JD Sports and Mango outlets, as well as HalfPrice. The latter will offer clothing, footwear and accessories in what will be its largest store in Slovakia. The service sector will be represented by the Tesco supermarket.
Eurovea wants to attract visitors with a new food court, too. After doubling its current area to 3,700 square metres, it will have capacity for 1,156 seated customers. This will include a food hall, designed by Reify Studio from Portugal, which includes amphitheatre seating overlooking the Danube, and boasting 60 outlets, such as KFC, Mondieu, Urban House and Como Cafe by the Medusa Group.
Internationally renowned architect and urban planner Beth Galí is behind the concept for the organisation of Pribinova Street and the design of public spaces.
Prior to the expansion, 13.5 million people visited the shopping centre annually.
“Our ambition is to increase this number by around 10 percent,” Eurovea’s marketing manager Oľga Hammer told Index magazine.
The outlets in the extension, as well as some which have been refurbished, including Cinema City which is expanding the number of its movie theatres to 17, will gradually open over the coming months.
Extended shopping mall
Meanwhile, the extended shopping centre is connected to the 168-metre tall residential Eurovea Tower. Total costs of the tower and extension of the shopping centre amount to roughly €500 million, the Pravda daily reported. These, along with two office buildings, blocks of flats, the extension of the Danube promenade, and the reconstruction of Pribinova Street into a boulevard, are part of the Eurovea 2 project.
The first Eurovea phase opened in 2010. The multi-functional complex consisted of a shopping gallery, the five-star Sheraton Hotel, a multiplex, offices and flats as well as a promenade along the north bank of the Danube.
It was developed by the Ballymore Group, but in 2014 the group sold it for €360 million to Peter Korbačka, real estate entrepreneur and co-owner of the development company J&T Real Estate (JTRE).
