ÉVORA COULD have three new large shopping centres within the next few years. The project from engineering company Guedol, provisionally known as Évora Fórum, envisages the construction of a space for 60 shops and five cinema halls.
In addition, the Sonae group is believed to be studying plans to install another shopping centre in the city. It is also rumoured that El Corte Inglés aims to launch its third Portuguese store (following Lisbon and Gaia) there next year, although a store representative has refused to confirm or deny the plans.
The Évora retailers association was apprehensive about the proposed developments. “Judging by the behaviour of consumers in this region, these centres will not last very long,” said the association’s president, João Inverno. But Évora Câmara President, José Ernesto Oliveira, said the city was open to investment and would be able to accommodate big commercial developments. “Aside from the resident population, Évora is visited by more than 500,000 tourists every year,” he said.
