Crowds flock to (second) largest shopping centre
The second-largest shopping centre in Switzerland opened in Ebikon, canton Lucerne, on Wednesday morning to great fanfare. A long queue formed outside as hundreds of people waited their turn to be one of the first to step through the doors.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Mall of SwitzerlandExternal link was accompanied in true Swiss style by alphorn music, drummers and an acrobatics show.
The 65,000-square-metre shopping centre has 140 shops and restaurants. There are also 12 cinema screens, a gym and spa, and space for fashion shows and exhibitions. In spring 2018, an indoor “surf wave” will also open, where people can practise catching some waves after a few hours’ shopping.
The centre is second in size in Switzerland only to the 78,000-square-metre ‘Shopping Tivoli’ in Spreitenbach, canton Aargau.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, has invested CHF450 million ($450.3 million) in the centre through a subsidiary.
The owners are expecting up to five million visitors a year.
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