"Bernardi" stays in Srem - company's owner asked for land rental fee to be paid prior to end of March 2010

(Project for future business-commercial and tourist center in Pećinci)

Realization of the biggest greenfield investment in Serbia, the contract for which was signed in May 2008 in Pećinci when Italian company "Bernardi" rented 85 ha of land for construction of a business-commercial and tourist center, has not been canceled. Because of the crisis, the owner of the company, Ricardo di Tomazo, asked recently for the annex to be added to the contract and stipulate that the rental fee for the land be paid by the end of March 2010, which should be followed by commencement of the first works.

– "Bernardi" only asked for postponement of the payment of rental for these 85 ha of land, which is intended for construction of the first phase. Having in mind that the investment is big and that the company is serious, we have signed the annex to the contract recently and it now stipulates that the fee for rental of the land should be paid by the end of March 2010 – says Živko Marković, the President of Town Hall of Pećinci.

According to the project for construction of this commercial-business center in Pećinci, the first phase will include construction of 40,000 square meters of office space for various purposes, while the next phases anticipate construction of 150,000 square meters for retail and commercial center, hotel-catering facilities, production-vocational contents, large fun and aqua park. The hotel that will be built within this complex will have 250 beds, and this shopping center will have complete infrastructure.

Following the completion of the first phase of construction, which is scheduled for September 2010, between 800 and 1,000 people will get jobs in this center. Once all facilities and accompanying contents at 150,000 square meters are built, about 5,000 people will be employed.

Italian businessman Ricardo di Tomazo says that his company has great experience in construction and management of such shopping centers, that "Bernardi" has 180 department stores in Italy, that it has invested in Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Near East, as well as that the shopping center in Pećinci will be the biggest in Serbia.

– We are satisfied. I knew that "Bernardi" would not give up construction in Pećinci, and that investment means a lot to us. We in local self-government will do everything we can to make the construction of this shopping center start as soon as possible, while the Executive Council of Vojvodina promised to stimulate investors with 1,300 EUR per every newly employed worker – says Živko Marković.