British-Bulgarian investment company ZBS, which is working on its first open-air mall in Bulgaria in the city of Bourgas, is considering investments of a total 200 million euro in Bulgaria, according to managing director David Coward, quoted by website investor.bg.

Such projects will be build in the regional urban centres where there is still not a lot of competition. Bourgas, Haskovo and Pazardjik are some of the town where the company is aiming to invest heavily.

Regarding the 30 million euro mall in Bourgas, Coward said that part of the funds has already been secured. The company will also rely on bank financing for 60 to 65 per cent of the total sum. Currently, ZBS is in talks with a Bulgarian company that would eventually acquire management of the mall, which will have an estimated catchment area 300 000 clients. The construction company that would build the mall, however, is yet to be selected.
 
Coward insisted that the current economic crisis was a blessing in disguise for developers, making construction companies more willing to accept "flexible and convenient" contracts, as quoted by investor.bg.

In terms of a possible construction in Bulgaria's main urban centres like Sofia and Varna, Coward said that there are far too many planned projects in those cities, while land prices were far too high and not always strategically convenient. Bourgas, on the other hand, was geographically restrained from the sea which surrounds the town, and there were not too many opportunities of expanding the territory of the local market.

Coward was positive on the future forecast for the economic growth and development of Bulgaria, quoting research by consultancy firm King Sturge, according to which, Bulgaria is in the top 10 European Union countries with a projected large growth for the small and medium sized businesses. Bulgarians as a whole were expected to be spending 18 billion euro more in 2018 that they currently are.