One in nine people in Bucharest visited a shopping centre daily in 2009

More than ten large shopping centres, plus tens of hyper- and supermarkets, two giant malls launched in the past six months. This is the picture of Bucharest modern retail, where all shopping centres are battling to attract as many visitors, and more importantly shoppers, as possible, reads BUSINESS Magazin. Summing up the data released by Bucharest shopping project owners and developers, one out of 9 Bucharest inhabitants visited a shopping centre daily in 2009. However, it is not a mall, but the old Unirea store, that is boasting the biggest traffic, as it is preferred for its downtown location and after the tenant mix changes operated. "During the week we register around 40,000 visitors, but the number goes up to 50,000-55,000 at weekends (...)," says Andreea Banica, development manager of Unirea Shopping Center. The former universal store also benefits from the fact that a small Carrefour hypermarket operates close to it.