Bulgarias Seaside In For Long Summer The Telegraph 12/05/2008
Poor infrastructure, polluted beaches, low standards of construction, noisy building sites, poor service and bankruptcies will put Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts under pressure this summer, British newspaper The Telegraph reported on May 9. Problems with the power supply, refuse waters and pollution have persisted last summer and have made an appearance this year already, although the tourist season is yet to start properly, the paper said. "Much of the infrastructure along the coast – including power supplies – was built 20 years ago and was designed for far fewer holidaymakers. The water treatment system at Golden Sands can successfully service 15 000 people, but not the current 40 000," The Telegraph wrote. Despite re-assurances from local authorities that a host of projects... more

Industrial Floorspace In Bulgarias Capital 1.2 Million Sq M 12/03/2008
The total amount of owner-occupied and speculative industrial floorspace in Sofia reached 1.2 million sq m according to real estate agency Colliers International research. This figure includes warehouse, manufacturing and flex buildings. Out of 1.2 million sq m of industrial floorspace, 160 000 sq m was speculative, Colliers said. Plovdiv features among the towns that attracts most investors in industrial facilities. The city currently has 450 000 sq m of owner-occupied and speculative industrial floorspace. Coastal town of Varna has 300 000 sq m. The new Logistics Park Varna will deliver an extra 80 000 sq m of speculative warehouse floorspace within the next years. Colliers Managing Director said that demand for industrial space will increase steadily in the future. more

Bulgarias Bourgas Stops Issuing Construction Permits During The Summer 13/03/2008
The coastal city of Bourgas will refrain from issuing construction permits until the end of summer season 2007. Bourgas mayor Yoan Kostadinov already issued an order that will be effective from June 4 to September 10. The ban will affect the beach area and the central parts of Bourgas, investor.bg reported. Emergency construction works and underground infrastructure projects will be carried out. Projects that already received construction permit will also be unaffected by the ban. Municipal administration and police will monitor the manner in which the ban is implemented, Bourgas officials said. The coastal city of Varna previously announced the introduction of a construction ban that will affect work in the resorts located within the Varna municipality. The ban will be... more

Shopping Mall In Bansko 19/03/2008
Bansko Privilege Resort said it will invest 5 mln euro in the construction of a shopping mall in Bulgaria's skiing hotspot Bansko. The retail center is sited next to the lower end of the gondola lift and the Kempinski Grand Arena hotel and should open for business in mid-2008. The 6,000 sq.m. mall will have 2 underground and 4 above ground levels. Around 30 shops will occupy 4 of the building's levels with the top floor earmarked for a restaurant and a casino. The mall will also have a bank office and a food court. Bansko Privilege Resort said tenant interest indicates that 90% of the premises are immediately rentable. The rent rates for the retail inventory range from 17 to 35 Euros per sq. m. more

Marketing Suite At Sofia Airport Centre Opens 10/03/2008
GE Real Estate Central and East Europe and US-based Tishman International inaugurated their Marketing Suite on March 4, an exhibition area revealing some of the products and services that will be available in the 250 million euro Sofia Airport Centre (SAC) on completion. “It is a unique idea for Bulgaria – a showcase testbed for the products and finishes to be used in the establishment. The exhibition room will be open 24 hours a day, enabling prospective investors to come and see what they are renting,” Julian Edwards, Tishman general manager for Bulgaria, said. The future mixed-use development will contain a hotel and an office section, constructed according to international Class A standards for offices, with retail, restaurant and back-up services on the ground floors and a... more