Sponda Plc Press release 12 May 2016 at 13:00
The greetings of Tampere residents will be laid in the foundation stone of Sponda’s shopping centre Ratina
The foundation stone of shopping centre Ratina, developed by Sponda, will be laid in Tampere today, Thursday 12 May 2016 at 14:00. The celebration will be organised at the shopping centre’s construction site in Ratina. Participants in the laying of the foundation stone include the Mayor of Tampere Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Member of Parliament Arto Satonen and Sponda’s President and CEO Kari Inkinen.
Shopping centre Ratina will be completed in spring 2018, and it will be the largest commercial centre in the city with an area of 53,000 square metres. Ratina consists of three retail locations: the newly constructed Valo-Ratina and two renovated functionalist buildings Funkkis-Ratina and Ranta-Ratina. The buildings will host more than 140 shops, and the surrounding marketplace areas will create an unique cityscape with a sense of community.
Communal urban culture
The Ratina shopping centre wants to create an urban culture that has a stronger sense of community. It offers both individuals and communities a chance to develop their city, Tampere.
“We want to be involved in supporting communal activities and create a shopping centre that feels dear to local residents because they have been able to express themselves during the construction of the area,” says Visa Vainiola, Shopping Centre Manager at Sponda Plc. “The shopping centre and the surrounding areas offer a prime setting for a range of leisurely activities, shopping and events,” continues Vainiola.
Seven Tampere residents will cast their message in the foundation stone
The first steps of co-operation will be taken already during the construction stage; people are encouraged to share their most important messages on the Ratina website, the ones they wish to preserve forever. The idea is to compile the personal notes to loved ones on a community note board, where others can read them years after their creation. The note board will serve as a backdrop for the Ratina plaza stage, which will feature a variety of outdoor performances in the years to come. Seven notes have been selected among the first notes submitted, and these will be cast in the foundation stone of Valo-Ratina today. The writers of these messages will also participate in the laying of the foundation stone.
Sponda Plc
Additional information:
Veli-Pekka Tanhuanpää, Senior Vice President, Sponda Plc, tel. +358 40 700 9646
The Ratina shopping centre will be completed in spring 2018 in central Tampere, in the Ratina district, along busy traffic routes. Approximately 530,000 inhabitants live within Ratina’s sphere of influence. With 53,000 square metres of space for retail and services, Ratina will be Tampere’s largest retail location, offering by far the most comprehensive selection of daily consumer goods in the city. The Ratina shopping centre is being developed by Sponda Plc. www.ratina.fi
Sponda Plc is a property investment company specialising in commercial properties in the largest cities in Finland. Sponda’s business concept is to own, lease and develop retail and office properties and shopping centres into environments that promote the business success of its clients. The fair value of Sponda’s investment properties is approximately EUR 3.7 billion and the leasable area is around 1.2 million m2. www.sponda.fi