The centre will be located at the site of a former quarry.
With the investment in the amount of 10 million euros, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will become a partner in the development of the first modern shopping and entertainment centre in Pula, reports Poslovni.hr on December 30, 2016.
The investment will be co-financed by the Fund for Capital Investments in Small and Medium Enterprises, whose investors are international financial institutions EBRD, EIF, DEG and OeEB. EBRD and ENEF will become shareholders of company EECF Istria, which owns the Max Stoja Shopping Centre company, a project enterprise for the development and management of the shopping and entertainment centre in Pula.
The centre will be built at the site of a former quarry and will include as much as 30,000 square metres of space available for lease, as well as a parking lot with 830 parking spaces. The project will contribute to the expansion of commercial offer in the town through the construction of retail space which will meet the highest international standards.
Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, the director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia, said that they were proud to become partners in this important investment. “The project improves the offer of the town by providing new opportunities for businesses, as well as a wider range of products and services for consumers”, said Jelušić Kašić.
Claudia Pendred, the director of EBRD for real estate and tourism, added that the project was of vital importance for Pula. “The new centre will contribute to the expansion of tourism infrastructure in the town and to the extending of the tourist season by creating new entertainment and catering facilities for this tourist destination”, said Pendred.
Stevan Muidža, the director of the Max Stoja Shopping Centre company, added that the project was developed in close cooperation with the local community and would create new sales channels for small and medium enterprises in Istria for marketing local products to the general public.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been active in Croatia as an investor since 1994 and has invested so far around 3.6 billion euros in more than 192 individual projects. EBRD’s activities cover all areas of the economy, with a focus on infrastructure, the corporate sector, financial institutions and energy. The strategic plan of the bank for the 2016-2018 period has three priorities: strengthening of economic resilience, orientation towards the global challenges, and providing support to regional integration.
