Of the 255 complex business operating in the greater metropolitan area, 11 are in the regional center format, 42 community, 75 neighborhood, 134 strip, 21 are urban, 7 lifestyle and 5 entertainment.
The figures from Colliers Costa Rica indicate that shopping centers in small formats, called life style and strip centers are those that are beginning to predominate in the metropolitan area.There are currently six projects under construction in the strip format and another 12 which are planned to be developed, according to Colliers.
So far in 2015 12 shopping centers have been opened, in different formats, and by December 36 more projects will have been inaugurated, plus another 30 next year.
The tendency to build small shopping centers, open squares and mixed use areas has been highlighted by industry experts as the main differentiator compared to previous years when the development of large shopping centers predominated.
Projections are that this year about 149 thousand square meters of commercial spaces will be built in different parts of the country, mainly west of the Greater Metropolitan Area.
Some of the upcoming projects include: City Mall in Alajuela, City Place in Santa Ana, e Center in Heredia, and Bamboo Eco Urbano in San Jose, among others. Specialists say that the commercial success of these complexes is largely determined by location, business strategy and brand recognition among consumers.
Latin America's first multinational integrated infocommunication services provider has invested $2.2 million in the development of its corporate presence in the Colombian market.
The amount invested will increase to $5.2 million in 2011 and the number of ITS InfoCom “knowledge workers” is expected to go from 71 to around 150.
Costa Rica president, Laura Chinchilla, inaugurated the ITS InfoCom's new Bogota facilities on Friday.