The building of the new IGY shopping centre has reached its highest point at over 20 metres above ground. The symbolic completion of the final concrete slab was undertaken by Zdeněk Havelka (Executive Director, CPI Property Group), Jiri Svoboda (Lord Mayor of České Budějovice), Petr Beránek (Development Director, CPI Property Group) and Martin Dormouse (Division 3 Director, Metrostav). "We stand on the uppermost point of the IGY construction site, which has been built in less than six months. The scheduled completion of IGY’s construction activities this autumn, is set to open and serve customers in the pre-Christmas period," said Zdeněk Havelka. The total investment in IGY’s new construction and additional renovation of existing buildings will reach CZK 750 million.
Shopping centre IGY, whose doors have been open for eleven years, called for the revitalisation and expansion with a view to increasing customer demands, maintaining competitiveness and increased demand for additional shops and services. "The rejuvenation of interiors and overall modernisation of existing shopping centres have been an essential issue for us. It was a combination of renovation and new construction that continue the successful transformation of Pražské třída in České Budějovice," said Petr Beránek.
At this time, after the completion of the concreting work, efforts will turn to the exterior façade. This creative concept and unique design will provide the area with a contemporary, modern perspective. Subsequently, primary construction shifts to the interior, which will progressively expand individual business areas in keeping with the requirements of future tenants. The final structure will also receive a public space facelift on the central boulevard leading to the city centre. Over the next two months, work will be carried out on the Pekárenská street sky bridge. This structure uniting both buildings of the shopping centre will be set at such a height allowing access to pedestrians and public transport underneath. This phase of construction requires temporary traffic restrictions. "At the request of the city, we will be building a turning lane from Pražské street to Pekárenské street, including pedestrian crossings and safety islands. During this short period, the project will temporarily divert traffic to the adjacent streets F.Sramek and Neruda," said Radek Hlaváček, Project Manager, shopping centre IGY.
The extension of the IGY shopping centre over two floors greatly expands the building’s business capacity from the original eight thousand square metres will now offer more than 29 thousand square metres of retail space with a total of 130 shops and a 700 capacity car park. Access to the new IGY’s rooftop car park will be solved by a ramp directly from Fr. Sramek street opposite the entrance to the Clarion Hotel. Over two retail floors, visitors can look forward to a nine screen multiplex cinema, a large combination of shops, services and entertainment, as well as restaurants, cafes and a food court. "Negotiations with future tenants have been very successful, with 85% of the new IGY building leased by tenants such as H&M, Sportisimo, Eiffel Optic, Costa Coffee, Česká Spořitelna, A3 Sport, Camp David, Ecco, Douglas," said Tomáš Salajka, Director of Acquisitions, Asset Management & Sales, CPI Property Group. The Centre will also have its own administrative sector, with nearly 5,000 m² of modern office space.
With the growing interest among customers, the shopping centre IGY has the ambition to become a popular favourite for shopping, work and entertainment in the South Bohemian capital. "We welcome shopping centre IGY’s significant contribution to the modernisation of the surrounding public space providing a welcoming link to the historic centre of České Budějovice, which we believe, offers the city’s residents exactly what they want," said Jiri Svoboda, Mayor of České Budějovice. The inauguration of the new IGY shopping centre is scheduled for the autumn and will be become the largest shopping centre in České Budějovice and the South Bohemian Region.
