Attractions Bulgaria

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Kraft Foods has poured 40 million leva into the Svoge chocolate factory, north of Sofia, making Bulgaria a “regional production centre”, a company press statement from the Bulgarian branch has said, quoted by Dnevnik daily on September 15 2009.

Photo: John Gress

Kraft Foods was initially undecided whether to make the investment in Bulgaria or Romania, but in the end the management agreed that Bulgaria provides superior conditions because the Romanian Brasov factory is in the town centre and therefore gridlocked, making it virtually impossible to expand.

The Svoge factory has received the financial package earmarked for the purchasing and installation of new technological production lines, of which two are already in operation, while the third installation will be activated by the end of December.

Furthermore, in 2008, Kraft Food invested 1.6 million leva for new technology in the company’s Kostinbrod factory.

The investment has been achieved, according to the statement, exclusively through the company’s own capital. Kraft Foods Bulgaria envisages increase of exports for Greece, Romania, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Hungary. With new production lines, the factory will reach a capacity of 100 000 chocolate units a day.

Meanwhile, Kraft Foods Bulgaria have announced a drop in sales for the first half of 2009, as opposed to corresponding figures for 2008. The company envisages that the current trend, in light of the economic crisis, is unlikely to improve by the end of December 2009.

Article derived from Sofia Echo

New flights to Bulgaria have been announced by Hungarian carrier, Wizz Air… starting in the winter season of 2009.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, Wizz Air will fly from Varna to Luton (London), departing at 6pm Bulgarian local time. This runs from September 19th 2009, and will continue until May 2010. After that… flights from Varna to Luton will switch to Sundays and depart at 1pm London time.

Wednesdays and Sundays from October 25th 2009 will see flights from Sofia to Eindhoven – leaving at 5:20pm Sofia time, and returning at 8:40 from Eindhoven.

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Good news for Bulgaria, is the rapid rise in the number of new shopping centres in Bulgaria. This is happening despite the global downturn in business… and once again points towards Bulgaria as a strong contender for overseas investment.

Bulgaria is still almost at the bottom of the charts for shopping centres – but this is not surprising, considering the average Bulgarian has less shopping power than the average Western European. However, with all the changes in Europe, and with Bulgaria soon to join the euro… growth is assured… and backers are seeing Bulgaria as potential shopping heaven.

However, should construction levels in Bulgaria maintain the same level, by the end of 2011, Bulgaria will have progressed from the current 25 sq m per 1000 people to levels currently enjoyed by Belgium, Malta and Croatia, who have anything from 100 to 75 sq m per 1000 people, provided of course that the aforementioned countries do not construct additional shopping malls.

Furthermore, a recent Cushman & Wakefield report indicated that construction levels in Bulgaria are actually considerably slower than they would have been had it not been for the global economic downturn. This saw the number of proposed projects slashed by 20 per cent.

More than 500 000 sq m of new retail area are expected to be completed in Bulgaria, which is more than the proposed construction in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and the Ukraine.

In western Europe the crisis, lack of financing and crediting, the deteriorating global recession and many other interrelated factors have contributed to the sharp decline of total volume of proposed construction for 2011, which in comparison to corresponding figures during the peak of the sector in 2007 has marked a 45 per cent decline. According to the Cushman & Wakefield report, however, the industry expects a rise in business in the following two to three years.

In a report by the international consultant firm, Jones Lang LaSalle, it is revealed that the total volume of investments in shopping malls in Europe has risen by as much as 85 per cent in Q2 of 2009, reaching two billion euro.

Derived from an article in Sofia Echo.

French retail chain Carrefour will open a store in Mall Pleven, developer Aladin Investment said on May 27, as quoted by Dnevnik daily. The hypermarket chain would rent 2 400 sq m on the shopping centre’s ground floor, Aladin Harfan, owner of Aladin Investment, was quoted as saying.

Mall Pleven, a 80 million leva development, is still under construction but is expected to be completed by the end of the year. “Construction is progressing according to schedule,” Harfan was quoted as saying.

The shopping centre is expected to open in early 2010 and has generated “heightened interest” from retailers, according to Colliers International, contracted to rent out the 100 stores that will spread over 17 500 sq m in the finished mall.

Currently, there are eight Carrefour projects under construction nationwide. The first hypermarket of the French group opened for business at the end of March 2009 in Bourgas, Bulgaria’s second largest Black Sea city.

The first Carrefour hypermarket in Sofia is expected to open in February 2010 on the Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard.

Derived from an article in Sofia Echo.

The Japanese government is to donate equipment worth 46.5 million Japanese yen (346 239 euro) to Bulgaria’s National Gallery of Art.

The donation would be used towards the acquisition of restoration and audio-visual equipment, Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted a media statement from the gallery as saying.

In the form of annual donations, Japan has given more than $7 million to various cultural, educational, sport and media government institutions in Bulgaria since 1991, BTA said.

Recipients of Japanese donations included Bulgarian National Television, the Bulgarian Judo Federation, the Boyana church, the National Library, the National Theatre, the National Music Academy, the National Gallery for Foreign Art, the National Institute for Monuments of Culture, the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Palace of Culture, the Sofia National Opera and Ballet, the museum of the Archaeological Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Bulgarian National Radio symphony orchestra, and a museum for Thracian art in the Eastern Rhodopes, near the village of Alexandrov.

News story from Sofia Echo

Imagine having the perfect smile, a slimmer tummy, fuller or smaller breasts.  Now imagine paying up to 75% less for the treatment than you expected. Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? Yet this is exactly why thousands flock to Bulgaria every year to have a share of.

Bulgaria’s medical training system is second to none, and as such the country boasts amongst the best surgeons in the world. Yet the prices for these treatments still remains very very low – hence its popularity.

Dental Treatments

Nestled amongst the gift shops, bars, restaurants and night clubs… you will come across many many dentists signs all eagerly tending to the queues of holidaymakers eager to grab their Hollywood smile at a bargain price.  The prices across Bulgaria hardly vary… ranging from around €15 for the initial examination, and only €15-€20 for a filling or deep clean.

Although the Black Sea are has been the most popular for this, the country’s major cities are also now staking their claim to a share in the country’s industry too. Even tour operators are cashing in by offering package tours which include a treatment.

Cosmetic surgery

As we age, many start to worry about their body, and will seek ways to keep hold of the glow and shape of youth. Again, because Bulgaria’s cosmetic professionals are of such a high standard, and the prices so low… many thousands head to Bulgaria every year for that enhancing surgery. Be it a facelift, a breast augmentation, lift or reduction, liposuction or more… Bulgaria attracts many with its state of the art equipment, low prices, and immaculate surgeries.

Whereas in Western Europe a woman will pay up to €10k for a breast augmentation… the same high quality procedure in Bulgaria costs around €3k – a massive saving that you could spend on other things. You will find that other services have a similar ratio.

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