Sonae Sierra Brasil and Grupo Marco Zero start the construction work of Boulevard Londrina Shopping

With a total investment of €97 million, Sonae Sierra Brasil and Grupo Marco Zero have started the construction work of Boulevard Londrina Shopping. Scheduled to be inaugurated in 2012, the new development is being built in an area of 80.000 m2 in the east area of the city of Londrina, in the state of Paraná.

"We want to grow our operation in Brazil by investing in new shopping centres, presenting modern and differentiating concepts. Boulevard Londrina Shopping is Sonae Sierra Brasil’s first development in the state of Paraná, where we detected a great market potential", explains Sonae Sierra CEO Fernando Oliveira. The new shopping centre will be developed in two levels, with a total Gross Leasable Area (GLA) of 47.800 m2 and 200 satellite shops, 8 large shops, 25 restaurants, a Walmart hypermarket, a Magic Games Entertainment and leisure area and 7 Cinemark next-generation cinemas, for a total of 236 shops.

The Boulevard Londrina Shopping will be integrated in the Marco Zero Complex, built in an area of 165.000 m2,and comprised of a theater, a hotel, a conference centre and residential and office buildings.

Boulevard Londrina Shopping will create around 900 jobs during the construction stage, and 3,000 jobs during the operation stage.

Privileged location and easy access

The Boulevard Londrina and Marco Zero Complex will be built in a strategic region which will be completely revitalized with the arrival of these two new developments. The catchment area includes more than 800.000 people from Londrina and other neighbouring municipalities.

Architectural Design

The architectural design of Boulevard Londrina was developed according to Sonae Sierra’s high quality standards, combining shopping with culture, leisure and socialization. The shopping centre will be totally interconnected to the Marco Zero Complex. Another unique feature is the decoration and the external façades which will be inspired on "Little London". On the outside the graphics refer to the details of the English flag.

One of the highlights is the atrium located in one of the entries that will have 20 meters in height with fully glazed façades. In the food court located on the second level there will be a terrace where visitors can enjoy the pleasant view and moments of leisure.

The food court will also feature restaurants with open areas connected to the development’s main boulevard, which inspired the shopping centre’s name. Its 700 meters long and 26 wide, will offer visitors a full interconnection with the buildings of the Complex as well as the shopping centre. The external landscaping will include reflecting pools and lush plants.

Sustainable Solutions

The design and implementation of the new Londrina shopping centre will follow a strict management and monitoring system in order to minimize possible impacts to the environment following the guidelines of Sonae Sierra Corporate Responsibility Policy. The solutions include a system to capture rainwater, which will be reused to supply the fire-fighting system as well as for irrigation and cleaning purposes. All hese procedures will be monitored during the construction works in order to obtain
the ISO 14001, the environmental certification which attests the best practices and the commitment to the environment.

Another goal to be achieved will be the certification in Safety and Health according to OHSAS (Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Services) 18001. In 2008 Sonae Sierra Brasil was the first company in the sector in Brazil to obtain this certification for shopping centres in operation.

Marco Zero Complex

With an investment of about €366 million (R$ 800 million), the Complex will have a theatre with two rooms with capacity for 1,200 people all together. It will be comprised of residential and commercial towers as well a hotel with a convention centre. To allow a free flow of people around the complex the parking lots will be built underground.

source : Sonae Sierra