In České Budějovice, the largest shopping centre in the South Bohemian region, opens to the public. The upgraded IGY Centre has expanded by over 30% offering 120 stores, an all-new CineStar multiplex cinema and a gastronomy zone. "We are opening the IGY shopping centre with a number of brand new and upgraded business units ready to welcome customers in time for pre-Christmas shopping. Additional tenants will be opening in the coming weeks and we look forward to celebrating the entire completion of IGY in February 2018," said Zdeněk Havelka, CEO of CPI Property Group, totalling CZK 750 million investment in the IGY redevelopment project.
The extension of the IGY shopping centre over two floors greatly expands the building’s capacity offering over 29,000 m² of retail space with a total of 120 shops and a 700-capacity car park. Visitors can now enjoy the new multiplex cinema, a large variety of shops, services and entertainment, as well as restaurants, cafes and a food court "The new tenants include favourites such as H&M, Sportisimo, Datart, Terranova, S.Oliver, Desigual, Rituals, Zoot, A3 Sport, Camp David, Ecco, Douglas, Costa Coffee and Ceska Sporitelna," said Petr Brabec, Director of shopping centre management at CPI Property Group.
The new multiplex cinema will have nine screens with a total capacity of 1,312 seats granting audiences an even greater variety of films. Utilising the latest state-of-the-art image and sound projection technologies, CineStar IGY Centre will rank among the top cinemas not only in the Czech Republic but in the whole of Europe. Cinema-goers will be able to enjoy films with the ultimate surround sound, 4K image and dual 3D systems. Set apart from previous CineStar multiplexes in the Czech Republic, this new cinema incorporates a selection of newly coloured seat designs, large screen foyer projections and a host of additional novelties.
Constructed 13 years ago, the IGY Centre in České Budějovice required major expansion and redevelopment in view of growing customer demands, maintaining competitiveness and increase in the variety of shops and services. In April 2016, the construction project was launched, with the new building achieving its capstone in January 2017. Subsequently, activities progressed to the interiors, where, apart from the passages and common spaces, individual commercial spaces were gradually emerging in line with the requirements of new tenants. On the exterior, the all-new cladding grants a new contemporary aspect to the object. The façade will be smoothly glazed and interestingly backlit, offering a spectacular welcome to customers prepared for the end of February, the completion date of the entire IGY project. In contrast, the original building is wrapped in a rounded organic shape, mirroring the façade of the Allianz Arena, home to Bayern Munich football team. The new building’s entrance ramp from Fr. street leads to the rooftop car park directly opposite the entrance to hotel Clarion. The IGY centre’s two buildings are newly connected over Pajarská street on the second floor, with the all-new sky bridge, allowing visitors convenient and efficient indoor access to the whole centre. The architectural design of the redevelopment came from Ateliér 8000 and Chapman Taylor workshops, with Metrostav as the building contractor. The new IGY centre, together with its distinctive architecture and unique design, reinvigorates in České Budějovice with new, modern energy contributing to evolving lifestyle and atmosphere of the city centre.
CPI Property Group ranks among the most significant real estate groups focusing on long-term real estate investments and property leasing, specifically in Central Eastern Europe and Germany. The majority owner of the group is the real estate investor Radovan Vítek, who as of 2014, incorporates not only a valuable real estate portfolio but over 25 years of investment experience on the Central European real estate market. The Group has its registered office in Luxembourg, with its shares traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a Baa3 Moody's investment rating received in September 2017. The Group manages assets worth in an excess of CZK 170 billion and operates in offices, retail, housing, hotel accommodation, industrial parks and logistics centres. The youngest segment is agriculture, where CPI Property Group targets capital appreciation with its extensive portfolio of agricultural lands and a stable income from its management. The Group also owns a large portfolio of land in the Czech Republic and Slovakia alongside Poland, Hungary, Romania and Germany.
