Work has started on expanding Bucharest – based shopping mall AFI Palace Cotroceni, which will reach 82,000 sqm, from about 80,000, and plans are ongoing for another 8,000-sqm expansion phase, the mall owners have announced.

The current expansion work will start close to the Galaxy entrance, and will see the Reserved store reach the anchor size of 2,000 sqm. The same retailer which runs Reserved, LPP Fashion, will bring some other brands in its portfolio, Mohito and Sinsay.

Coffee shop Starbucks will also reopen under a new concept, covering more space, and including both a summer, and a winter terrace.

AFI Palace Cotroceni is located in Western Bucharest and includes over 350 shops, an Auchan hypermarket, 20 cinema halls, the country’s first IMAX cinema, two casinos, and a 1,000 – sqm indoor skating ring, two playgrounds, a laser tag arena. It is owned by AFI Europe Romania, which also owns the office buildings adjoining to the mall, as well as a shopping mall in the city of Ploiesti.

editor@romania-insider.com