The Mall of Sofia, the five-storey “Western-style” shopping mall that, after City Center Sofia, will become the second such complex in the capital city, is to open on June 9, about two weeks behind schedule.

The delay is said to be caused by technical difficulties.

There have been developments in the course of May regarding the ownership of the mall, which at opening will total 33 500sq m and will include a two-level shopping centre, a 12-screen cinema, an IMAX giant-screen cinema, a supermarket, restaurants, a food court and offices.

The opening is scheduled for 4pm on June 9.

In terms of an agreement between the General Electric subsidiary GE Real Estate and the Irish firm Quinlan Private, a consortium of the two is to be set up to acquire a further 50 per cent stake in the mall from two Israeli companies, Aviv Group and Cinema City International.

Previously, in August 2005, the consortium bought its first 50 per cent stake in the mall for a reported 37 million euro, with GE taking 30 per cent and Quinlan 20 per cent. GE Real Estate owns 19 shopping centres in Central and Eastern Europe.

Construction of the mall began in July 2004. Tenants include Varna-based supermarket chain Piccadilly, fashion shops Mango, Esprit and Benetton, sports goods firm Intersport, Polish coffee chain Coffee Heaven, and Technomarket Evropa. Other businesses in the mall will include banks, a travel agency, a bookshop, children’s shops, a photo studio and a video store. The mall is now fully let.

Mall of Sofia chief executive Eli Egosi said that the centre would be managed from one central computer room, where every activity throughout the building would be monitored and controlled.

Colliers International said that rents at the mall vary from 30 euro to 60 euro a sq a month.

According to a report by the Irish Independent in early May, Quinlan was believed to be looking, along with an Israeli partner, at a second shopping development in Plovdiv in central Bulgaria.