Ústí region: Growing demand for commercial space
Interest in the commercial space is starting to recover even in the Ústí nad Labem region. Construction of four large commercial complexes should start in Teplice area itself this year. These will be…
Interest in the commercial space is starting to recover even in the Ústí nad Labem region. Construction of four large commercial complexes should start in Teplice area itself this year. These will be built by property developer JTH and they are already 70 % occupied, Jaroslav Třešňák, company owner, said . Probably the biggest and most closely watched project is the building of a shopping centre in Svobody square, right in the heart of the spa town with fifty thousand inhabitants. In the sixties and seventies, the square was half demolished by socialist builders, who built their own projects in the place of historical buildings. Třešňák wants to transform a passage of buildings in one corner of the square into a commercial gallery – construction should begin this autumn and it should be completed next year. The developer estimates the cost at around CZK 700 million. Current owner of the Prior department store, situated right on the other side of the square, also wants to start building and make its complete refurbishment. A more conventional centre under JTH direction is already growing also in Bílina which has fifteen thousands inhabitants. Here the concrete area around the railway station will be turned into a commercial zone. According to Mr Třešňák, one of the reasons is the resurgent interest of retailers and other tenants. “We do not make decisions on projects by looking out the window, we work by custom. And we are 70 per cent occupied,” he said. Northwest Bohemia is not strictly among the rich parts of the country where candidates fight for every spot. “But if you have a good place, companies just keep coming,” he added.