A month later than initially planned, the MAR shopping centre has opened next to the IKEA store near Loulé.
This temple to retail includes energy and water saving measures and uses local, low-water plants in outdoor areas.
Herman Gewert, the centre’s director, said today that, “It's a great time for our team. For a long time we worked to prepare a space that the Algarve would be proud of. Today, we can safely say that the Algarve has one of the best shopping centres in Europe, both for shops and leisure.
“We will fulfil the promise that we will be the stage for the best traditions of the Algarve and we will value the culture and the values of this region that has much more than the sun and the beach. We want the Algarvians to see this as their home."
The new shopping centre has 110 stores, with 30 or so still to open, and an 8,000 m2 outdoor area which is said to be ‘unique in the country,’ where visitors can rest and be entertained.
There are solar chargers for those who need to top up mobile devices.
To ensure the efficient use of water, all taps, showers and toilets have low water consumption settings and water meters will allow water consumption to be monitored and leaks identified.
The materials used include wood from sustainable forests (accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council).
The shopping centre is part of a commercial complex of 82,000 square metres which includes the IKEA store and Designer Outlet Algarve which is due to open in December, 2017.
It is all owned by IKEA Group which says it has spent €200 million and created 3,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. The number of jobs that will be lost at local retailers and other shoppping centres will be analysed by local business groups.
One of the reasons given for MAR opening with less than a full deck of retail tenants was 'the lack of available employees.' Herman Gewert earlier had admitted that “it was difficult” to find sufficient labour in the Algarve for the construction of the shopping centre, as well as employees for the stores."
Management has set a target of nine million visitors to the complex in year one, an average of just under 25,000 people a day. The Algarve's resident population is around 440,000.
