Sofia - an attractive European shopping destination

Bulgaria is among the European countries with the greatest number of shopping malls, according to the report of the real estate company Cushman&Wakefield. The country occupies the 13th place among 34 other countries. Behind Bulgaria remain European countries such as Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and others.

The commercial space in the country keeps on increasing and in 2014 three new mall are to open in Sofia – Sofia Ring Mall next to IKEA store, Plaza West and Mega Mall in Lyulin district. This will be the fourth wave of shopping malls in the capital. With three new malls in Sofia, the capital will exceed the average level in Europe of 300 sq.m of modern retail space per 1 000 inhabitants.

The first shopping center of modern type in Bulgaria was opened in 2006. This is City Center Sofia (CCS) located at the intersection of the boulevards 'Cherni Vrah' and 'Arsenalski', next to European Union Metro Station and diagonally opposed to the Hemus Hotel. The mall became a popular place for the dynamic and modern citizens of Sofia. There are more than 100 stores, several cafés, a pharmacy, beauty parlors, bank offices and parking lots in the mall. There are also two hypermarkets presented in the mall: Technomarket and Picadilly. In January 2014 the five-star multiplex Cine Grand was opened in the mall. The cinema has 6 halls and a total of 1258 seats, including a luxury lounge hall.

Among the most popular malls in Sofia is Mall of Sofia located in the heart of the city, on 101 'Alexander Stamboliski' Blvd. It has more than 130 stores, including stores of leading international and Bulgarian brands for women, men and children's fashion, shoes, accessories and jewellery, household goods, cafes, restaurants, food court and Piccadilly supermarket, Cinema City and IMAX cinema.

The biggest mall in Sofia is The Mall on 'Tsarigradsko Shosse' Blvd. Situated on 66,000 square metres The Mall offers 178 stores featuring international brands, a 9000 sq.m Carrefour hypermarket, the ten screen Arena Cinema, various entertainment venues, a fitness centre, restaurants and cafes. This combination of world famous brands, services and places of recreation and entertainment makes The Mall an exciting place to shop.

One of the most modern shopping centers on the Balkans is Serdika Center located on 48 'Sitnyakovo' Blvd. It offers a rich and varied range of brands that will satisfy even the most capricious and vain customers. The center has the largest number of mono-brand stores and the fashion brands that present only here are over 40.

The first lifestyle mall in Bulgaria is Paradise Center on 'Cherni Vrah' Blvd. It is characterized by its impressive size of 80 000 sq.m of rental area. The mall is the most attractive place for trade and entertainment, comprising of impressive architecture and interior design. The most famous trademarks have located their best shops in the mall. Among the anchor tenants are brands of the Inditex group - Zara, Bershka, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, the fashion giant LPP – Reserved, Mohito, Cropp Town, House. The largest shop on the Balkans of the brand Marks&Spencer is situated in Paradise Center. The leading fashion chain H&M is also present with a key outlet in the shopping mall.

Among the popular shopping streets in Sofia are 'Vitosha' Blvd., 'Pirotska' Str., 'Graf Ignatiev' Str., 'Hristo Botev' Blvd. On these streets you will find a lot of stores and boutiques that offer a variety of goods - clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, sporting goods, etc. Shops of the most expensive brands are located at two other central streets - Lege and Saborna. Numerous shops are located at the small streets in the downtown around the National Palace of Culture, the Sofia Court and Sofia Market Hall.

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