Outlet Village Sofia to open at the end of November with 33 stores

Outlet Village Sofia, a new retail project by the investment company Trinity Capital, will open at the end of November with 33 stores and a restaurant, Fakti reported on 26 October. The outlet has 9,000 sq m of leasable area and is located next to XOPark Sofia on Botevgradsko Shose Boulevard, close to the Sofia Ring Road.

About 92% of the stores are expected to be open on the opening day, according to Ivan Nachkov, chief operating officer of Trinity Capital. The company is already considering an expansion of 2,000 to 3,000 sq m, which would add at least ten more brands, Fakti wrote.

The project is designed as a village, with pedestrian streets and a central square rather than an enclosed mall. The tenants are mono-brand stores, and for some brands the Sofia outlet will be their first store in Bulgaria, according to the report. Trinity Capital is working on the project with the Austrian Haslinger Group as partner.

Trinity Capital's retail portfolio includes the XOPark retail parks in Sofia, Plovdiv, Yambol and Haskovo, as well as West Mall, Park Center Sofia and Mall Plovdiv, Fakti said.

Outlet centres sell branded goods from previous seasons at discounted prices and usually draw shoppers from a wide area, which is why they are often built next to major roads. The location by the Ring Road and next to an existing retail park follows that model.

For the commercial property market in Sofia, the project adds an outlet format alongside the city's shopping malls and retail parks. Its performance in the first months will show whether the planned extension goes ahead.