WITH PLANS to promote Tavira’s new shopping centre, which is currently under construction near the border with Spain, the local câmara hopes to end speculation that smaller business owners will go under.
Tavira Câmara President Macário Correia has responded to criticism from small shop owners in the area that fear they will go out of business once the large shopping centre opens by saying that they should not be affected.
He said that the shopping centre will attract many more consumers to the area, from across the Algarve and southern Spain, and this will have a knock-on effect for existing businesses in the historic centre.
Mr Correia said he was confident that the fears will dissipate once the shopping centre is open and shop owners in the centre of the city will realise that their business has been unaffected.
The Gran Plaza Tavira is being developed by the Martifer group, which also owns the land in Guia on which the largest shopping centre in southern Europe is planned to be built.
Gran Plaza Tavira will be situated in the east of the city in Vale Caranguejo and covers 30,000sqm, nearly two thirds of which has been designated for shops.
The three-floored shopping centre will boast around 60 shops, 12 restaurants, a cinema with four screens, open air spaces, a Continente supermarket and an underground car park for 1,000 vehicles.
Construction began a few weeks ago and the development is due to open in April or May 2009.
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