Multi Development Spain inaugurates Cartagena’s first shopping and leisure centre
On May 21st, the Mayoress of Cartagena, Pilar Barreiro, has officially opened shopping centre Espacio Mediterráneo in Cartagena, the mediterranean city in the South-East of Spain. The covered centre offers on 54,000 m² a comprehensive range of leisure (Lux cinema and Bowling Park) food and fashion, with top brands like Carrefour, H&M, C&A, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Springfield, Cortefiel, Pull & Bear, Sfera, Benetton and others. It will bring a new shopping experience to Cartagena and its region. Developer is Multi Development Spain S.A. Investor is WestInvest from Germany. The concept for Espacio Méditerraneo was developed by T+T Design, Gouda, The Netherlands. Architect is L35 Arquitectos S.A. from Madrid, Spain.
The entire inauguration ceremony revolved around different nautical themes reflecting Cartagena’s maritime history.
Víctor-Manuel Gómez Izquierdo, Managing Director of Multi Development Spain S.A., said: “Espacio Mediterráneo is a landmark and will modernise local trade. It provides 1,200 jobs and boosts the economic development of this area”.
The interior of the shopping centre is refined and modern. Ample natural materials are used such as wood and natural stone. There is a great variety in stone used for the floors creating a variety of patterns.
The opening ceremony was attended by more than 800 guests including local authorities and senior representatives of Multi Development Spain S.A., WestInvest, the retailers and other companies involved. Esperanza Pérez, the first Spanish woman to cross the Atlantic single-handed assisted in symbolic act of launching Multi’s latest project in Spain. Next, star magician and Magic Oscar winner Yunke, amazed the audience with a spectacular show of magic. After the celebration, guests were invited to savour a cocktail prepared by El Bulli, the Restaurant owned by the prestigious chef Ferrán Adriá, which has won Restaurant magazine’s “world’s best restaurant” accolade for the second year running.
Espacio Mediterráneo: An innovative project for Cartagena
Cartagena has been the capital of the Spanish Navy’s Maritime Department of the Mediterranean since the eighteenth century. As far back as the sixteenth century it was one of the most important naval ports in Spain. The building’s unique architectural concept was based on this maritime history. One can recognize a lighthouse, the sails of a boat, a breakwater, a dock house and a large vessel with waves breaking over the decks.
Espacio Mediterráneo is the first integrated leisure and shopping centre in the area. It has a GLA of 54,000 m² and offers 130 shops, on 2 floors with a comprehensive range of leisure, food and fashion, with top brands like Carrefour, H&M, C&A, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Springfield, Cortefiel, Pull & Bear, Sfera, Benetton, Punto Roma, New Yorker, Levi’s, Bershka, Pimkie, Women’Secret, Intimissimi, Calvin Klein, Amichi, Oysho and Tintoretto. The Espacio Mediterráneo shopping centre includes almost 11,000 square metres for leisure and restaurants. It has a 9-screen Lux Cinema complex and a Bowling Park ten-pin bowling alley. Moreover, the food area boasts names such as McDonald’s, Jamaica, Cañas y Tapas, Pans & Co, 100 Montaditos, Il Tempietto, Jijonenca, Doner Kebab, Cantina Mariachi, Subway and Café de Indias. It is situated next to the dual carriageway linking Cartagena to Murcia, Almeria, Alicante and the resort area of La Manga. There is parking for 4,300 vehicles.
The catchment is 450,000 people, and in the tourist summer season this exceeds one million people.