WOOD & Company has announced the completion of the acquisition process of the Aupark Bratislava shopping centre. At the same time, it has invested in its expansion with the public opening last week.
The transaction, announced in 2021 was designated as Slovakia’s largest single-asset real estate acquisition with a total value of €450 million and was implemented exactly according to plan. WOOD & Company and its joint venture partner Tatra Asset Management (TAM) became the sole shareholders of Aupark Bratislava, with WOOD & Company holding the majority share. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) thus ended its shareholder activity in the shopping centre and completed the sale of its last asset in Slovakia.
The extension of Aupark, the fourth in a row, includes 9,999 sqm of gross floor area, of which 7,756 sqm are intended for new retail units, including brands such as RESERVED (2,400 sqm) and Zara (3,860 sqm), which opened their most modern stores in Slovakia here.
The sustainable solutions include the green facade, the largest of this kind not only in Slovakia but also in the Czech Republic with an area of more than 600 sqm and 35,000 plants of various species. The green facade from LIKO-S will capture approximately 1050 kg of CO2 annually and improve the microclimate around the building. A side path will also connect to the greenery, on which a "meadow" will grow so that the path merges with the green facade. It will be planted in an eco-forest, allowing rainwater to be collected.
Works began in the spring of 2023 with the demolition of the parking lot, and the main construction phase started in August 2023. The entire project was completed in October 2024.
The building has technologies for managing air conditioning, cooling and optimising energy consumption. To save operating costs, it takes over part of the cooling from the original Aupark. A photovoltaic power plant with an output of 150 kWp on the roof of the building contributes to energy efficiency. The Aupark SC also received an energy certificate with the value A for total energy consumption and A0+ for primary energy consumption – i.e. the highest energy efficiency within the certificate.
WOOD & Company manages investment assets worth €4.5 billion and trades on stock exchanges with a turnover of approximately €30 billion. WOOD Real Estate manages commercial real estate in Prague, Bratislava and Warsaw. The portfolio includes 16 projects with more than 364,000 sqm of leasable area. The most important real estate assets include the Aupark shopping centre and the Aupark Tower office building in Bratislava, the Harfa Gallery in Prague and the Astrum Business Park office building in Warsaw.
