ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - The Slovene shopping chain Mercator opened its first shopping mall in Zagreb on Friday - worth DM45,000 and located on a surface of 40,000 square metres - in the presence of Presidents Milan Kucan and Stipe
Mesic. The mall was opened by Ljubljana Mayor Vika Potocnik and Zagreb's Milan Bandic. Croatia and Slovenia are small markets, said Croatian President Mesic. This calls for intensifying economic cooperation, particularly among the two countries' companies which should make joint presentations on third markets to improve their standing in the globalisation process, he added. Mesic said shopping malls test Croatian products and promote them for export. In his brief address, Kucan agreed it was necessary to intensify economic cooperation. He said the Mercator shopping mall was one of Slovenia's biggest investments, and reminded Slovene companies had inv
ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - The Slovene shopping chain Mercator opened
its first shopping mall in Zagreb on Friday - worth DM45,000 and
located on a surface of 40,000 square metres - in the presence of
Presidents Milan Kucan and Stipe Mesic.
The mall was opened by Ljubljana Mayor Vika Potocnik and Zagreb's
Milan Bandic.
Croatia and Slovenia are small markets, said Croatian President
Mesic. This calls for intensifying economic cooperation,
particularly among the two countries' companies which should make
joint presentations on third markets to improve their standing in
the globalisation process, he added.
Mesic said shopping malls test Croatian products and promote them
for export.
In his brief address, Kucan agreed it was necessary to intensify
economic cooperation. He said the Mercator shopping mall was one of
Slovenia's biggest investments, and reminded Slovene companies had
invested around $100 million in the Croatian market thus far.
Mercator's mall in Zagreb is the second in Croatia, the first being
in the northern Adriatic city of Pula. In Croatia alone, the chain
employs more than 1,000 people. This figure will increase after
Mercator starts building malls in the southern seaport of Split,
the northern seaport of Rijeka, and another one in Zagreb.
Construction is set to begin next month.
The chain has thus far invested around DM131 million in the Croatian
market, and plans on investing another 170 million in the three new
malls.
Mercator is also interested in the acquisition of "healthy"
Croatian companies, having already taken over Sloboda from Velika
Gorica.
(hina) ha