On Thursday 1 December at 10 a.m., Citycon Oyj is opening the new Martinlaakson Ostari shopping centre in Vantaa. Consumers will be greeted by 23 different shops and several other services in the new centre with a total of 7,300 m² new floor space. The offering focuses on regional, everyday services. Martinlaakson Ostari is located at the centre of Martinlaakso, Vantaa, next to the bus terminal and the train station.
In her speech at the opening ceremony, Minister of Housing and Communications Krista Kiuru stressed the need for service availability to all groups. The number of small households without a car is on the rise, and climate change makes the thought of shops relying exclusively on private car use increasingly questionable: "Unfortunately, many large shopping centre projects in recent years have been deliberately located away from people, town centres and community infrastructure."
Kiuru also pointed out the necessity of developing the suburbs. Predominantly born in the 1960s and 70s, many old shopping centres are in dire need of repair but are situated, like Martinlaakson Ostari, near public transport hubs in the midst of residential areas and close to many public services. "The shopping centre at the heart of the suburb is still as relevant a concept as it was when they were first built."
The new Martinlaakson Ostari rose in the place of an old business complex, which was badly outdated in terms of both building technology and commercial concept. Given its excellent location, its being a public transport hub and lying in the midst of the dynamic and expanding Martinlaakso, Citycon decided in spring 2010 to tear down the old building and replace it with a new shopping centre fit for the demands of the next decade.
Michael Schönach, Executive Vice President of Citycon's Finnish operations, explains: "Citycon's strategy focuses on downtown areas and strong regional centres with a solid customer flow and good public transport connections. Martinlaakson Ostari is a good example of this."
The opening weekend of Martinlaakson Ostari will be filled with a varied programme. For the schedule of events and information on the shopping centre's services, please visit www.martinlaaksonostari.fi.
For further details, please contact: Shopping Centre Manager Susanne Ahonen, Tel. +358 40 704 5533