The community of Nicosia is getting ready for the unveiling of the final stages of the new-look Mall of Engomi in time for Black Friday. We spoke to Atterbury Europe’s head of developments Roux Gerber and Polys Tsiartziazis, development manager of Brightbrige Real Estate.

The big day is 19 November… how many stores are operational for the first time during the relaunch period?
Roux Gerber: We are really excited to announce the relaunch after a very difficult economic period worldwide. Twenty new stores will join the four existing tenants that were retained from the original Mall of Engomi.

Are you satisfied with the outcome of the redevelopment?
Polys Tsiartziazis: I couldn’t be more satisfied; and in my wildest dreams I did not expect the visitors to more than double in numbers compared to before the redevelopment. This is in my view the best measure in support of what the team has achieved.

Take us through what is new, and please share what you personally are most excited about?
Roux Gerber: The design result is remarkable – it combines high aesthetics and quality standards with a clear focus on the target market, to deliver something really special to the neighbourhood. Despite all the difficulties caused by the pandemic, we have succeeded in delivering the project on time, incorporating all the elements initially envisaged by the development team.

The Mall of Engomi is revived in many aspects, offering a totally different customer experience. For one thing, it is larger, resulting in a number of new shops, which are focused very specifically on the target market. The surrounding neighbourhood includes the vibrant student market and the mall caters for their interests as never before.

Many of the new tenants have never operated inside a shopping centre before, and the modern food court that was created to accommodate them has a fresh, green look and feel, with spacious indoor and outdoor seating arrangements that converge in an organic way.

The ambience is enhanced by lots of natural light courtesy of a new skylight, and plant-rich landscaping. It is not only visually appealing, but the food choices are also exceptional and can’t be found in any other shopping centres on the island. Mall of Engomi’s food court really is one of a kind; customers are in for a unique gastronomic experience.

What kind of environment did you hope to create by adding a food court to the mall?
Roux Gerber: The food court is one of the magnets of Mall of Engomi and is almost regarded as an anchor tenant. We had identified it early on as the missing piece of the puzzle, but what we achieved in the end was much more than just adding some restaurants to the mall. In effect, we created an entire experience which enriches the visitors’ time spent at the mall – they can stay longer, relax and enjoy a wide variety of street-food choices in an inviting environment. We foresee that the food court will become a meeting place where locals will congregate.

What happened at the mall in the last couple of weeks before the inauguration?
Roux Gerber: As with all projects at this stage the focus is fourfold: to complete the final details of the mall’s exterior and interior, to assist tenants with the completion of their fitout processes, to launch a marketing campaign to drive interest and inform the community of all events and timeslots, and lastly to set the scene for Mall of Engomi to become the neighbourhood mall in Cyprus.

Tell us more about the marketing around the relaunch
Roux Gerber:  A marketing plan was developed in close cooperation with centre management and has been running since 1 November, including digital and outdoor advertising, influencer engagement, and a radio campaign to focus attention on the relaunch date and our schedule of activities.

Our marketing campaign was designed as a ramp-up process to the inauguration event, and will continue until the end of January 2022, when the normal marketing activities of the operational mall will continue. We will take full advantage of all milestone dates in this period: the gift card launch, Black Friday week and Christmas and winter sales.

During the ramp-up period, there will be social media communication, outdoor advertising, a radio campaign, and the distribution of The Mall of Engomi Times with its relaunch weekend activity calendar. We also start the Christmas decoration programme.

Over the relaunch weekend, 19 to 21 November, we’ll host the unveiling ceremony of the relaunch plaque and the lighting of the Christmas tree; there will be live radio broadcasting from the mall and a variety of family activities.

From 22 November to the end of January, marketing will boost the milestone events of the period, including special Black Friday offers, communicated through social media; Christmas events and the winter sale campaign. This will seamlessly set Mall of Engomi onto the operational road as the premier shopping and leisure destination in Engomi.

Polys Tsiartziazis: We also created The Mall of Engomi Times, a quarterly newspaper carrying news about tenants and activities in the mall, for distribution in the surrounding community and also in digital format on our online platforms.

Planning this project around repeated lockdown restrictions must have been extremely challenging. What have you learnt during this process?
Roux Gerber: The unprecedented conditions forced us to become much more inventive in the way we planned the works scheduling. Communication at the inception of the project was mainly through video teleconferences. Management and professional teams worked harmoniously together, producing and implementing a detailed programme which was revisited weekly, to mitigate the new challenges imposed daily by the pandemic. The team learnt to became more flexible as we found ways to work around delays in material delivery, and to reduce the work force during certain periods.

Polys Tsiartziazis: I must admit this project was quite challenging for me in many aspects, managing and coordinating the professional team around the strict time frame, avoiding any delays. It is worth saying that we didn’t lose a single working day throughout the whole redevelopment period, while keeping the mall operationally opened to customers throughout. This achievement shows that when it comes to delivery, and a responsible approach towards our tenants, as a company we are innovative and go the extra mile.

Can you share some of the hardest challenges?
Roux Gerber: One of the biggest ones, which created a lot of frustration for the whole team, was the swinging around of the 35 metre long travelator within the confined space of a operational supermarket. This was required to achieve the new retail configuration of the mall. I recall Polys’s words of encouragement: “We shall stay here together as a team as long as it takes to ensure that everything runs smoothly”  – those should be engraved on this piece of equipment as it was perceived as mission impossible!

An equally big challenge was creating a mezzanine floor at the existing double volume space within a trading store which had to be completed in a very short timeframe. My words are still echoing in the passages:  “I would like to see you, Mr Contractor, more stressed and frustrated, as this will make me worry a bit less”.  But we got the job done!

Your anchor tenants have been trading since earlier this year, right? How did you manage that smoothly?
Roux Gerber: Keeping the anchors operational while we were redeveloping, and executing our work around them in the safest and least disruptive manner was one of the most challenging issues of the project. I won’t lie – there were hard words from both sides at times during difficult and frustrating moments, and we had to play mediator in a few instances! But we’re all still friends, and seeing the end product and increased footfall as its result has sweetened any sour memories!

Polys Tsiartziazis: A memorable moment, which will stay with me, was when an elderly gentleman and a regular visitor to the mall, arrived one morning to find that “his” cafe chair was gone from what had been his favourite spot. He insisted that the contractor provide him with a seat in the part of the mall that was operational so that he could enjoy a coffee and a short nap. The contractor, bless him, not only organised a comfortable place to sit for the customer, but also a cup of coffee whenever he visited. So although his “nap” was disturbed by construction noise, our customer has found his new café chair and remains a loyal ambassador of Mall of Engomi!

How has the rest of the community of Nicosia responded to the offering so far? How is the leasing of the remaining stores going?
Roux Gerber: The response of the market has been exceptional and the footfall has exceeded expectations – it already more than doubled before the redevelopment was even completed. There are still some COVID-19 measures in place, but trading is nonetheless living up to expectations.

On the leasing front, it was our intention to be different and more focused on our target market, which seems to have been the right strategy. We have a handful of tenants who are still in the process of either completing their fitout process of finalising their lease with the mall.

What, in your opinion, will ensure Mall of Engomi’s success?
Roux Gerber: Contrary to the other malls in Nicosia, located on the outskirts of the city, Mall of Engomi is right in the heart of town, in an area populated by affluent residents, and high numbers of students who live in the dormitories dotted around the mall. We cater for a substantial market directly in our immediate vicinity, rather than competing with any other shopping centre. Mall of Engomi has a loyal audience that appreciates its convenience in the neighbourhood, and the unique meeting place represented by the beautiful new food court.