Mercator Center Belgrade ( sr, Меркатор Центар Београд), located in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

's municipality of

New Belgrade New Belgrade ( sr, / , ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is a planned city, built since 1948 in a previously uninhabited area on the left bank of the Sava river, opposite old Belgrade. In recent years, it has become the central bu ...

, is the biggest

Mercator Serbia Mercator Serbia ( sr, Меркатор Србија) or Mercator-S, is a Serbian supermarket chain, a part of Mercator Group, an international retail chain based in Slovenia. As of 2016, it has 15.98% market share in Serbia. History The company ...

Center in the retail chain.

Old Mercator

The first Mercator center was opened in 1972, also in New Belgrade, but at a different location. It is located along the Mihaila Pupina Boulevard. At the time of opening, it was city's "pride", and one of the first shopping malls in Belgrade. With

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

Hotel Jugoslavija Hotel Jugoslavija ( sr-Cyrl, Хотел Југославија) in Belgrade is one of the oldest luxurious Serbian hotels. It is located in the Zemun municipality. The hotel was opened in 1969 as "one of the most comfortable and most luxurious" ...

, SIV building and CK building , it was considered one of the symbols of New Belgrade. It was built as the "grandiose" structure, made from

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

, and resembling a "

fallout shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. During ...

". Apart from the numerous stores, shops, cafes and restaurants, in the southern extension it had a farmers market. It was the first indoor farmers market in Belgrade. Restaurant "Pri Majolka", later renamed "Vojvodina", was one of the most popular in New Belgrade. The northern extension hosted cinema "Jugoslavija". The building was expanded and renovated in the early 1990s, when the name Mercator was officially dropped, but unofficially remained until today. During the economic collapse in the 1990s, a

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

developed in front of the mall, along the boulevard. After the opening of the new Mercator Center, the former one became known as the Old Mercator. Though still in use, it was left without proper maintenance since the early 1990s. By the 2020s, the structure deteriorated, with many empty shops, broken concrete parts and staircases. The flea market was formed again. In January 2021, part of the ceiling above the farmers market collapsed, injuring several people.

Mercator Center Belgrade

Mercator Center Belgrade was opened in December 2002. Mercator Center Belgrade has 52,400 square meters with 74 stores and Mercator hypermarket (8,600 square meters). The construction cost 38 million euros. In 2012, the facility was upgraded; the cost was 12 million euros. In December 2017, Mercator Serbia sold it to the Serbian holding company

MPC Holding MPC Holding ( sr-cyr, МПЦ Холдинг) is a Serbian holding company with the headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia. History MPC Holding was established on 24 November 1991 by the Serbian businessman Petar Matić. In 2002, MPC Holding bought an ...

owned by Serbian businessman Petar Matić, for a sum of 46 million euros.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Buildings and structures in Belgrade