Murska Sobota, 26 June 2003
 
This investment is worth SIT 1.4 billion. The Murska Sobota subsidiary, BTC Murska Sobota, is becoming the leading shopping centre in the Pomurje region. On average 5,100 visitors visit it every day.
 
On Thursday, 26 June 2003 BTC plc and Spar Slovenia opened a new hypermarket Interspar within the BTC City shopping centre. It encompasses 5,850 m2 of additional sales and warehouse space and 1,034m2 in extra space on levels located above warehouses. This new hypermarket and the old centre are connected by a hall (joint lobby) covering an area of 820 m2. This boosts the overall functionality of both buildings.
 
The BTC company’s investment is worth SIT 1.4 billion. With the expansion of the shopping centre BTC also provided a further 200 parking places.

 ‘With this investment BTC has brought to life its aim to build a shopping centre in Murska Sobota that would keep its leading position in the Pomurje region. Our common goal is to become a small BTC City, thereby we are constantly expanding our offer. We have just signed a contract with OBI centre for a range of products called ‘vse za dom’ (everything for the home) which will be built over 5,500 m2 and whose construction will start in autumn 2003. This is how we intend to provide a rich and attractive service to our customers’, said Janez Štotl, director of the Murska Sobota subsidiary.
 
‘INTERSPAR Murska Sobota is the seventh Interspar hypermarket to open in Slovenia, giving work to 120 employees. It is seen as a continuation of the BTC and Spar Slovenia partnership, which opened the first Spar shop in 1998. The decision to upgrade and expand the shop was purely the result of successful business and customer demand.
In addition to various departments for household supplies, the new hypermarket offers other products such as electrical appliances, textiles etc. We have tried to build a truly modern shop that is a pleasant shopping environment. With this new hypermarket we wish to give our customers quality goods at competitive prices. Spar has 7 hypermarkets and 26 SPAR shops in Slovenia employing more than 2,000 people. Its market share is over 15%. By the end of 2003 Spar will have opened at least 6 more Spar shops in Slovenia’, Igor Mervič, the general manager of Spar Slovenia, announced. 
 
On this occasion Spar Slovenia donated the city of Murska Sobota SIT 1 million to organise a fireworks display for ‘Soboški dnevi’ (a local holiday).
 
BTC CITY Murska Sobota
The leading brands found in the BTC shopping centre Murska Sobota are Spar, Hervis, Mass and Big Bang. There are more than 30 other shops and bars, and the centre offers numerous sports, entertainment and cultural events.
 
‘The shopping centre in Murska Sobota was built in 1998, involving a redirection of its primary logistics activity into a shopping and entertainment centre. It was rebuilt as a two-storey shopping centre. The current expansion is the result of consumers’ needs; a bigger space, and a new and larger offer’, said Marko Žehelj, the engineering manager of BTC plc.
 
By 2004 BTC will become the biggest shopping, entertainment and sports centre in all of Europe. BTC plc has opened shopping centres in Ljubljana, Novo mesto and Murska Sobota. In 2003 and 2004 it will invest a total of EUR 50 million, the biggest investment in the company’s history. In line with its three-year development plan, the company will have used EUR 40 million from debenture shares. With the completion of key investments in 2004 BTC will become the biggest shopping, entertainment and sports centre in the whole of Europe.

For more information:
Marketing and Public Relations Department BTC plc
Šmartinska 152
SI – 1533 Ljubljana
Phone: 01 585 13 19
Fax: 01 585 13 76
e-mail: maja.oven@btc.si