Of all that I have seen and heard regarding West Gate, I was most fascinated by the investors’ willingness to invest 270 million euros in its construction. I imagine how many hills and mountains of t-shirts and dresses must be sold here for the tenants in the new largest Croatian shopping center to earn enough to recoup that investment through rent.
On Wednesday evening, I set off with a VIP invitation to the grand opening of West Gate, but I did not make it there. The traffic jam that formed already at Podsused and the sight of a parallel traffic jam on the bypass west of the city demotivated me and sent me back into the city. If such a crowd was created by the VIP guests themselves, it is certain that there will be kilometer-long lines in the direction of Zaprešić these days. Just as there were a few years ago in the direction of Jankomir when King Cross was built there; just as there were recently in the direction of City Center One; just as there were afterwards in the direction of Avenue Mall; just as there will be next year in the direction of Lanište when a new shopping center opens near the Arena.
Since I missed seeing this new shopping wonder, to at least somewhat satisfy my need for stores, I stopped by the blissful peace of Importanne Center on my way back to the city. In the first Zagreb shopping center on Wednesday evening, a good hour and a half before its closing, there were a handful of customers. From the signs on a larger number of stores (‘everything for 99 kuna’; ‘total clearance’; ‘big discount’…) it is easy to conclude that crowds in Importanne are now just a historical category. And again, I imagine how many hills and mountains of t-shirts and dresses priced at 99 kuna need to be sold to cover the bare costs of maintaining a store in that shopping center. There is no chance that there is profit for anyone here.
