There were many candidates for the purchase, but it is said that Mercator were closest to the Austrians. They have not disclosed how much they will raise from the sale, but they added that the sale of the centres does not mean Mercator will withdraw from them. The business will remain in them and they will take a lease on only those parts which they need for their core activity. With the proceeds, estimated to be several hundred million euros, they plan to settle their obligations to the banks and then, credit-free, invest in the development and construction of a logistics and distribution centre in Ljubljana.

The sale of the shopping centres might have a positive impact on real estate management. The rents of other occupants of the centres will supposedly not change, explains Maja Ostanek of the KF Finance.

The sale of the Mercator centres shows that in recent years Slovenia has started to appear on the radar of international investors also in relation to real estate. Some years ago buyers were South African funds, but interest is now being shown by Austrians, Hungarians and Poles. Besides Mercator’s properties, four Tuš centres are also on sale.