IMMOFINANZ in Serbia: Surprise Guests at the Opening Festivities

Midsummer temperatures were awaiting us upon our arrival in Serbia. We were going to the tenth opening of a STOP SHOP in Serbia, in Sremska Mitrovica. All of the residents of the city and its surrounding areas were invited. The city has just under 40,000 inhabitants and is of regional importance due to a paper factory as well as its harbour and shipyard. Nevertheless, the residents are still lacking more shopping options. Our STOP SHOP retail park is aimed at resolving this problem and we were all keen to see how the residents would respond to it at the opening. At the same time, we were very pleased about the opening of the tenth STOP SHOP in Serbia. This opening was supposed to be something special – and it was:

The visitors, who had come with their entire families, gathered in front of the large stage on the STOP SHOP forecourt. They ate, found places for themselves with a good view and let their children play in the small recreation area. Twelve thousand people had come to see the opening. A number of them were looking forward to performances by their national stars, including the popular band Bajaga and Instruktori, who have ranked among the top music artists in the Balkans for decades.

Many of the visitors took the opportunity to explore the STOP SHOP's 7,000 sqm of retail space and see the 22 various national and international brand names. In total, the shops recorded visitor numbers of over 85,000 on that day, which everyone was clearly pleased about.

The large number of visitors wasn't the only reason to be happy – alongside the Mayor of the city of Sremska Mitrovica, the Serbian Minister of Agriculture and the Austrian Ambassador surprisingly also announced they would attend the event. Consequently, there was a high level of media interest. More than ten regional and even national news broadcaster came to report on the opening and the concert at our STOP SHOP in Sremska Mitrovica – with success: Our tenth STOP SHOP opening in Serbia was shown on national television and widely covered in the media.

The evening ended with a brilliant fireworks display. When we left, we could hear the guests singing cheerfully and chatting as they went home.