This autumn, IKEA Centres is to open two shopping centers in Europe

Elnòs Shopping is IKEA Centres’ second mall in Italy, following the opening of Tiare Shopping in Villesse in 2014. It is located in the north of the country, some 100 kilometers to the east of Milan. IKEA Centres is investing €190 million in the 88,000-sq-m scheme, the largest in the province of Brescia. Built on two floors, it will accommodate 145 shops, of which about 20 will be major space users. The center will be an important part of the community, with indoor meeting areas and outdoor areas for sports and entertainment: a true meeting place scheduled to open in autumn this year.

The innovative Scandinavian design, the offer, and the integration with the IKEA store will create an attractive and inspiring place, where more than 6 million visitors are expected each year. With a primary catchment area of some 800,000 people living within a 30-minute drive, Elnòs Shopping benefits from good access from the entire province of Brescia and the city of Bergamo. It is also easily accessible for tourists visiting Lake Garda.

Ambitious project in terms of environmental impact

The center has been designed to minimize its environmental impact and will be one of the first Italian malls classified as Class A. It will have a 1-MW photovoltaic system, well above what is required by Italian legislation, and air conditioning consumption will be limited to a maximum of 4 Watts per cubic meter in the summer. One of the most ambitious projects in the sector in terms of environmental impact, every attention has been paid to details to reduce energy consumption, including light-colored roofs and façades, special heat-reflecting asphalt, and a lighter color asphalt than commonly used. The waste produced from excavation on the site will be completely reused, thus reducing the number of vehicles that will access the site to manage materials, reducing the carbon footprint and emissions, and the burden on the roads.

From Italy to France: Centre Commercial d’Ametzondo, IKEA Centres’ new 76,000-sq-m shopping center, is located in the southwest of the country in Bayonne. Bayonne enjoys a privileged location and is demographically dynamic, with a higher purchasing power than the French average. Set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountains among attractive and lively cities near the Spanish border, the Basque Country is one of the most beautiful in France. It welcomes more than 1.7 million tourists throughout the year.

Centre Commercial d’Ametzondo and the IKEA store represent an investment of €250 million. The extensive catchment area, comprising some 1.2 million inhabitants, extends into areas across the Spanish border. Some 8 million visitors are expected each year. The mall will be fully integrated with the first IKEA store on the French Basque coast, which opened in August 2015. Comprising 100 shops on two levels, this regional shopping center is scheduled to open in October 2016. The tenant mix will include traditional local shops, like the French cultural goods store Cultura, together with national and international brands that are not yet present in the area. Anchor stores include a Carrefour hypermarket, the largest H&M and G-Star stores in the region, Sport 2000, Maison du Monde, and Sephora.

Suédo-Basque identity

Centre Commercial d’Ametzondo will enjoy a strong Suédo-Basque identity, combining IKEA Centres’ Swedish heritage and the Basque culture. The inviting promenade features natural light and raw materials, pleasant seating areas surrounded by landscaped areas and trees, and modern and elegant architecture. Plants and vegetation will be a prominent feature of the north façade. Food lovers will enjoy spending time at the diverse selection of restaurants situated in a warm, specially-designed plaza with terraces with a view of the Adour River.

Visitors will find amenities such as family rooms and click-and-collect lockers, job sessions for tenants to find and hire their local teams before opening, and more to come. Approximately 1,100 direct and indirect jobs will be created to manage the shopping center and the 100 commercial premises. The scheme enjoys direct access at the intersection of the A63 and A64 motorways. Of the 3,000 parking spaces, 75% are located underground, allowing easy access to the center entrances. Four bus lines have been extended to arrive at the Centre Commercial d’Ametzondo bus station.