Akmerkez

Summary

Akmerkez is a shopping mall located in the Etiler quarter of Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey. As the country's third shopping mall following Galleria Ataköy and Capitol, it was opened by a joint venture of the Akkök, Tekfen and İstikbal companies on December 18, 1993.[1][2][3][4]

Akmerkez
Akmerkez logo
Map
LocationEtiler, Istanbul, Turkey
Opening dateDecember 18, 1993; 30 years ago (December 18, 1993)
DeveloperAkkök-Tekfen-İstikbal
No. of stores and services246
Total retail floor area180,000 m2 (1,900,000 sq ft) (total enclosed area)
Websitewww.akmerkez.com.tr
Interior view

The Akmerkez complex covers an area of 180,000 m2 (44 acres) and consists of a four-story shopping area, with two towers offering a total of 31 stories of office space,[4] 14 and 17 in two towers, and a third tower with 24 stories of residential areas. The shopping area, offering visitors 246 stores,[4] is spread over a triangular area connected to the surrounding main roads through 3 atria. The total rentable store area is 35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft).[1] There are 41 escalators, 2 panoramic elevators and 30 elevators. The cleaning, security and general maintenance is provided by a workforce of 250 people.

In 2005, the shopping mall was converted into a real estate investment company, and 49% of the stakes were offered to the public. The Dutch real estate investment company Corio owns 46.9% of the public shares.[4]

Akmerkez is visited by nearly 36,000–38,000[clarification needed] visitors on weekdays and 50,000 over the weekends.[3] The number of visitors reached around 1.5 million per month,[4][5] or 14 million a year. It is reported that the average visiting time is with three and half hours over the world average.[2]

The shopping mall started to host art exhibitions and events with works of significants artists in 2002.[3][5]

Renovation edit

In 2008, a renovation project for the shopping mall was announced.[6] Between 2013 and 2014, it underwent a complete renovation, which cost more than 20 million.[1][2][7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Cengiz, Demet (2014-10-20). "Akmerkez'in içi dışına çıkıyor". Sözcü (in Turkish). Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Akmerkez yakında sokağa çıkıyor". Milliyet (in Turkish). 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  3. ^ a b c "Art comes to Akmerkez again". Hürriyet Daily News. 2007-10-18. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  4. ^ a b c d e Yuve Kireçci, Satfiye (2006-05-07). "'Akmerkez'in rakibi yok'". Radikal (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  5. ^ a b "Turkey's largest art exhibition at Akmerkez". Hürriyet Daily News. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
  6. ^ "TAkmerkez sets aside $25 mln for renovation". Hürriyet Daily News. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
  7. ^ Topal, Tayfun (2013-11-24). "Bu hamle Akmerkez'i zirveye çıkarır". Habertürk (in Turkish). Retrieved 2015-09-15.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • International Council of Shopping Centers
  • "Gedik Investment Securities - Akmerkez GYO" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. (282 KiB)


41°04′37″N 29°01′37″E / 41.07694°N 29.02694°E / 41.07694; 29.02694