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Ušće Shopping Centre – the heart of Belgrade

Belgrade’s Ušće Shopping Center is the best trading mall in Serbia with nearly a million visitors per month, more than 140 international and domestic brands, restaurants and bars, a food court, multiplex cinema with 11 screens, a gym, the biggest bookstore in the city and a supermarket. The centre has 1 200 parking spaces and is conveniently located at the cross-roads between Old Belgrade and New Belgrade near the city centre and the business district. Atterbury Europe asset manager Vlad Valcea and MCP Properties PR and digital manager Nevena Martinovici break it down for us.

How has Ušće Shopping Centre settled into the retail landscape of Belgrade since it opened in 2009 – how does it compare to the other offerings in the area?

Due to its superior location and accessibility, coupled with its optimal leasable area and the office buildings nearby, Ušće had taken charge of the retail landscape in Belgrade from the outset and established itself as the leading shopping mall in Serbia. For the past decade and still today, Ušće generates the highest sales and traffic densities of any shopping mall in Serbia.

Who are the typical Ušće shoppers?

Ušće shoppers are mostly trendy young women between 24 and 35 who enjoy spending their leisure time shopping with their friends, love fashion, dressing up and going out. They are very much influenced by trends and trendsetters’ opinions and they primarily buy clothes, more so than any other segment. They visit shopping centres around three times per month and spend 40 Euros per visit. The average Ušće shopper uses social media as their primary channel for getting relevant news and brand-related information.

Which facilities are considered to be the biggest crowd pullers?

First and foremost, the apparel and footwear brand mix is the best in Belgrade. The restaurants are also very popular, and the mall’s other facilities such as the cinema and gym coupled with the generous underground parking area ensure that the mall is always busy.

How has the mall fared during the Covid-19 restrictions? Have you managed to retain all tenants, and were there any particular relief measures that worked for all parties?

Serbia went through a second retail lockdown for about a month during March-April 2021. Despite the very challenging past year, we have managed to communicate well with our tenants and to find mutually reasonable and workable solutions. Tenant retention was a priority and we’re pleased that the team has managed to keep almost all tenants, with very few exceptions, which involved a tenant who filed for bankruptcy and a couple of smaller and struggling local operators.

Have there been any changes to the centre since it first opened 12 years ago, and if not, is any kind of refresh planned?

The exterior façades, main entrances and squares were refurbished last year alongside the completion of Ušće Tower II office building next door. Interior refreshes involving bathrooms and passage corridors also took place recently. Further interior upgrades are also being considered to improve the shopper’s experience.

What is on Ušće Shopping Centre’s marketing agenda for the immediate future – please share any plans? What are your hopes for the centre for this coming summer?

During its 12 years of existence Ušće Shopping Centre has unified its rich retail, leisure and entertainment mix beyond the traditional mall offering, contributing to the growth of the city both by stimulating economic growth and providing the local community with quality content. It has become the best-performing shopping destination in the Southeastern Europe (SEE) region. Our future expectations are certainly geared towards maintaining the position of being the “first-choice fashion destination” in Belgrade, while also working on growing our place-making potential and continuing to be a community hub that fulfils people’s needs beyond shopping.

Customer appreciation has always been at the core of our marketing strategy and we will continue to reward our customers’ loyalty with novelty programmes that focus on providing added value. We are also expanding our offer to include local fashion designers in a specially dedicated store, while we plan to use the square in front of Ušće Shopping Centre as a stage for many fun summer activities targeting families. One of the first Covid-safe activities will be the Belgrade marathon and Ušće square will serve as a sign-up point for all runners, confirming again that everything relevant to Belgrade and its inhabitants begins and ends at Ušće Shopping Centre.