Real estate investors have completed or are set to complete malls worth over 400 million euros by the end of the year, the lowest volume of investments recorded on this market in the last four years, but significantly more compared with the money that goes into building plants, Zizarul Financiar reported.

Each of the last three years saw investments ranging between 650 and 980 million euros in shopping centres, but after nearly three billion euros in cumulated investments, the market is starting to gradually decline.

Sun Plaza and Cocor in Bucharest, Atrium Center in Arad, the first retail park in Severin and the first mall in Baia Mare, Gold Plaza, whose inauguration is scheduled for November 4th, are the year's new projects on the shopping centre market.

As far as production is concerned, the Procter & Gamble plant in Urlaţi cost 100 million dollars, less than the Baia Mare mall, while Renault has so far invested in its test centre less than Austria's Sparkassen investment in the Sun Plaza mall in Bucharest.

Although significantly lower, down 40% on 2009, investments have pursued the same direction - consumption - while in production only wind power investments in Fântânele can rival the amounts allocated for malls.

Source: Ziarul Financiar