- TEG will offer an additional 12,000 m2 for shopping and entertainment
- All new business units are leased
- Upcoming international brands in the field of clothing and fashion
- The largest children’s playground opens
- State-of-the-art advertising space
Mariola Kuçi, CEO of ACREM, the company that manages the two largest shopping centers in Albania, QTU and TEG, talks about the expansion of the latter. She tells us about the new shops and services that will enrich the center thanks to an investment by the shareholders of TEG, BALFIN Group, AAEF, and FIS.
After 10 years, the TEG shopping center has “grown” by expanding its spaces. Why was such an investment necessary?
Despite the fact that TEG has been built more than 10 years ago, it remains the most modern and most frequented center in Albania. This comes as a result of the continuous investments that we have made but also from the constant encouragement of the President of BALFIN Group, Samir Mane, on applying the latest innovations of our industry and offering customers the best.
The most recent investment with the realization of the addition of new spaces is the most important. It is not just about an expansion of the surface, but about important changes in the conception of the shopping center by visitors and buyers. After the pandemic, significant changes in buyer behavior have been noticed and we have considered them as a basis for TEG’s change project.
The changes in some lifestyle aspects in these 10 years and the changes brought by the pandemic made this investment necessary and for us at ACREM, it was not very difficult to convince the shareholders of TEG, BALFIN Group and AAEF. TEG now has more shopping and entertainment spaces for all age groups.
What has changed in TEG? What novelties has this expansion of the center brought?
TEG constantly works to develop and integrate new concepts that engage and entertain the center’s visitors of all categories. We have expanded the spaces of entertainment and relaxation, the spaces dedicated to food, and we have increased the number of shops.
The expansion of the food area, “Food Court” indoors, with a special interior and the addition of the outdoor terrace area, has brought a new style, new gastronomic products. The new stores that are now open and those that are expected to open their doors very soon are of the most popular international brands. We will have a playground of 3000 m2 which will be organized in indoor, covered, and outdoor spaces. This makes it one of the largest playgrounds in the country.
Very soon we will also have charging stations for electric cars to continue the support that TEG provides to the environment and the use of technology. Also, through the installation of solar panels, TEG will be partially independent in producing the electricity it needs.
A number of other services will be digitalized, making visitors and shoppers’ experience at TEG easier.
The TEG expansion will also bring additional stores. Will we have new brands that have not been in Albania before?
A push for the expansion of TEG has also been the request from several important international brands to be in Albania. With this I want to confirm that we will have some very well-known international brands in the field of clothing and fashion coming to Albania for the first time. We will reveal the names of these brands at the right moment, respecting the contracts we have with them.
In the field of gastronomy, an international brand that you can already find at TEG is PizzaHut. Present in over 100 countries of the world, it has chosen TEG’s premises as its station in Albania.
Shoppers will be offered over 10,000 m2 of new stores, making it more diverse and even more difficult to choose within TEG.
When are the stores and services located in the new spaces expected to all be open?
We are working with the brands that have rented the commercial spaces to open stores to the public as soon as possible. The works for the opening of new units continue intensively, while the common spaces are fully functional at the service of customers.
In September, the playground for children and new units of the food area, “Food Court”, will be inaugurated. The works will continue throughout these months until March 2023, when the final phase takes place and marks the opening of all units, including the category of clothing and fashion stores.
In your opinion, what makes TEG the center most sought after by tenants and most frequented by buyers?
TEG is the largest shopping center in Albania, it is the favorite shopping destination, making it the most frequented center with over 9.1 million visitors per year. Despite this, TEG is always striving to offer more. More entertainment, more gastronomy choices, more clothing options from international brands, more quality services, and all this according to the highest standards and the best European and international shopping center experiences.
What makes TEG successful today is the care and attention towards buyers and visitors. We make sure they get the best, but we also listen to their suggestions and preferences. Improvements and interventions are always made after listening and analyzing the feedback from buyers and visitors of TEG.
Our main goal is to provide a welcoming environment with high quality services for both tenants and customers, making TEG the preferred destination for shopping, entertainment and more for over 10 years. We make sure that whoever comes to TEG is always happy and comes back again.
