Maurizio Borletti, president of Gs Retail and founder of Borletti Group – a name linked to the success of Rinascente, to mention one – announces the opening date of the mega-outlet “The Market” which will open its doors in San Marino next summer. «We started five years ago, explains Mr. Borletti at Sole 24 Ore, and we chose an area that is experiencing a very interesting growth, also in terms of tourist flows, and the lack of a commercial offers similar to what we intend to create». And the figures are impressive: 150 million euros of investment for thirty-thousand square meters of commercial space, of which 1,200 square meters dedicated to food and 120 stores, once fully opened. «The role of projects like this, continues the entrepreneur, is to change the behavior of people who more and more often go to a shopping center not necessarily to shop only, but to spend an afternoon or a whole day enjoying leisure and food». And the potential, according to estimates, is enormous. «There are 3 million residents in the catchment, within ninety minutes by car, and 6 million tourists, of which only two in San Marino, thanks to the varied offer of an area like Romagna, continues Mr. Borletti. We expect to get 2 million visitors fairly quickly, which is a figure in line with the statistics of the other outlets, with the exception of Lombardy which has a higher potential».

(Source: Il Sole 24 Ore – 24 July 2018)