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Zemun Park, the first retail park in Belgrade, is entering a new chapter under the name FORUM PARK. This transformation is led by Marera Properties, a company whose portfolio includes retail spaces under the FORUM brand. The rebranding reflects a strategic move to unify and strengthen the FORUM brand, while also introducing a comprehensive transformation of the retail park—including a fresh new visual identity.

The integration of the FORUM brand across Forum Shopping Center in Niš and Forum Park in Zemun highlights the company’s vision and commitment to positioning FORUM as a central hub for community, entertainment, and rich experiences. As a national retail brand, FORUM aims to create a unique environment and multifunctional space that expands the variety of offerings and activities for all visitors.

FORUM retail locations are also known for their signature interior design, which reinforces a unified brand identity across all current and future sites.

“We are pleased to announce the rebranding of our second retail property under the FORUM name. In the coming period, FORUM will host numerous exciting promotions, exclusive deals, and events aimed at providing visitors with memorable experiences and premium offerings. Forum Park will continue the tradition of organizing Black Friday with attractive deals and special gifts for all our guests. We are thrilled to expand the FORUM family and confident that we will continue growing our retail network and brand in the future,” said Tomislav Savić, Retail Director at Marera Properties.

Follow FORUM:

Website: forumshoppingcenter / zemunpark
Facebook: @forumnis / @zemunpark
Instagram: @forumshoppingcenter / @zemunpark

Marera Properties Launches Blood Donation Awareness Program in Cooperation with the Red Cross of Serbia and the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia

Marera Properties, in collaboration with the Red Cross of Serbia and the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia, is launching a new program to promote voluntary blood donation across its business locations.

The aim of the program, titled “You’re Worth Three People When You Donate Blood”, is to support the Serbian healthcare system by helping to secure stable blood supplies.

Every unit of donated blood can save a life—or more precisely, three lives.

With the desire to inspire as many people as possible from within its own system, partner businesses, and the general public to come together and create a life-saving impact, Marera Properties has initiated this blood donation drive program within its properties, under the slogan “You’re Worth Three People When You Donate Blood.”

The donation drives will be held periodically throughout the year, aiming to activate and engage a wide range of local communities. Marera Properties’ business units and facilities are located across four regional centers: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kraljevo.

The first blood drive will take place on Thursday, October 19, from 11 AM to 4 PM, at the following Belgrade locations:

Kalemegdan Business Center – Desk&More, 1st floor, Masarikova 5, and

Marera Property Management – Brodogradilište parking, Savski nasip 7T, New Belgrade

The values of companies within the Marera group are reflected in their active care for local communities and environments—revitalizing historic landmarks and developing their potential for a high-quality, sustainable lifestyle. Marera represents an ecosystem of businesses in the commercial real estate industry that, beyond striving for business success, aim to foster social cohesion and respond to diverse community needs in the spirit of sustainability.

Marera Properties believes that this initiative can further encourage those who have never donated blood before—because once you donate blood, you become a lifesaver for life.

Details:

Thursday, October 19
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Kalemegdan Business Center / Desk&More ZOO, 1st Floor
Marera Property Management – Brodogradilište parking lot, Savski nasip 7T, New Belgrade

To ensure proper coordination of the Red Cross Belgrade teams and the Blood Transfusion Institute, it is recommended to register in advance by emailing:
komunikacije@mareragroup.rs by October 17, 2023.

At a ceremony held in the Pobeda Industrial Park in Petrovaradin, a newly renovated hall was officially handed over to the Red Cross of Novi Sad. The facility was restored and donated by the company Marera Properties, which granted the organization a ten-year lease as part of a donation valued at one million euros.

The event was attended by the Mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić, representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia and Novi Sad, executives from Marera Properties, and other high-ranking officials.

Reaffirming its strong and long-term commitment to socially responsible business practices—and specifically its strategic partnership with the Red Cross—Marera Properties fully renovated a warehouse space of over 1,600 square meters. This facility will now be used for storing supplies intended for the most vulnerable groups.

“Since our founding, we have made it a key priority to improve the local communities in which we operate—not only through donations, but also through a range of socially responsible initiatives that together form a sustainable framework for enhancing society as a whole,” said Takis Taoushanis, Chairman of the Board at Marera Properties.

Since acquiring the park in August 2020, Marera Properties has invested over two million euros in renovating existing facilities and improving infrastructure such as roads, the electrical grid, and the water supply within and around the Park.

“By investing in the Pobeda Industrial Park and modernizing its existing facilities, Marera Properties has not only improved working conditions for tenants and enhanced the Park’s overall image, but also created conditions for increased productivity and greater opportunities for new job creation,” said Milan Đurić, Mayor of Novi Sad.

Dragan Lazić, Secretary of the Red Cross of Novi Sad, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the organization to Marera Properties for their generous donation and strategic collaboration, which has enabled the Red Cross to carry out numerous initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of the most socially vulnerable groups.

The Free Zone Novi Sad received Government of the Republic of Serbia approval for extending its territory to the location of Industrial park Pobeda, which allows for the favourable conditions for new investments, creation of new jobs, and introduction of tax benefits for export-oriented companies.

“We see accession to the Free Zone as a major business opportunity both for us and all our existing and future lessees. We are certain that in addition to all the benefits that Pobeda is currently offering, the Free Zone will represent a foundation for further improvement of operations and achievement of greater competitive advantage,” says Mile Štrbac, Industrial Asset Class Director at Marera Properties.

More than 200 multinational companies with tens of thousands of employees operate in Serbia’s Free Zones, and their exports make up more than 13% of Serbia’s total exports. Companies operating within the Free Zone are entitled to tax benefits, such as exemption from VAT and customs duties for the import of raw and production materials, export goods, machinery, equipment and construction materials.

“The role and the importance of Free Zones in the economic development of Serbia is great, both on the macro-economic and on the micro-economic level. They allow for conditions for direct foreign investments, increase the chance for products from Serbia to become well established in the international market, and create a favourable business environment,” stated Miloš Pajović, Director of Free Zone Novi Sad.

Pobeda is the only industrial park in the northern part of the country which, in addition to logistical and production capacities, offices storage and office space. Located in the immediate vicinity of Novi Sad, Industrial park Pobeda currently has 110 thousand square meters of production capacities, and 17 hectares of land designated for the construction of new halls. There are 35 established and growing companies operating within the park, whose activities cover the most diverse fields, from processing, to commerce and transportation industry. As of August 2020, Pobeda is a part of the portfolio of Marera Properties, a company engaged in the acquisition, development, leasing and management of commercial real estate properties.

Marera Properties’ project M44 won the prestigious international award Ranko Radović, for the architectural work on reconstructing the office building in Makedonska Street, Belgrade, designed by Remorker Architects.

“The newest effort by the young team from Remorker is the latest in a series of successful reconstructions of theirs in the city’s very centre. In this case, it is primarily the contextuality, minimalism, discipline and consistency of the intervention that this city needs much more, that are captivating. All in all, undoubtedly a valuable contribution to the environment of one of the most popular squares in the heart of the city. It is interesting that the majority of citizens we talked to were not aware that the building at 44 Makedonska was replaced at all. The majority of them see the new building as an ‘old-timer’. The best compliment ever,” expert jury’s exposition reads.

The award is presented by ULUPUDUS, Belgrade Faculty of Architecture, Novi Sad Faculty of Technical Sciences – Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment, Belgrade Urban Planning Bureau, WIENERBERGER LLC KANJIŽA, Serbian Chamber of Engineers and Radio-Television of Serbia, and was established with the goal of promoting, developing and affirming architectural work.

“We are immensely proud that another one of our office asset reconstruction projects has been crowned with such an important award, which is presented by our country’s most esteemed institutions. M44 is a modern business centre today, and this award confirms its architectural value,” said Milana Srećkov, CEO of Marera Properties, and added: “This is the second prestigious award that Marera Properties, as the investor, and Remorker Architects, as the author of the architectural solution, won together. We share a common vision with our partners, and we look to our future projects with great enthusiasm.”

In 2018, Belgrade City presented the Architecture and Urban Design Award to Remorker Architects for the reconstruction and adaptation of Trudbenik, a former office building at 79 Bulevar kralja Aleksandra in Belgrade, which is also an investment of Marera Properties.

Marera Properties is a company that invests in the development, leasing and management of commercial real estate properties. The company’s portfolio consists of more than 200,000 m2 of office, retail, and industrial properties throughout the country, which makes it one of the biggest investors on the Serbian real estate market.

In January 2022, Belgrade Palace will open its doors to tenants, while the BIGZ Building will be ready to do so at the beginning of 2023. These monumental edifices are projects of Marera Properties, a company engaged in real estate investment and development, and leasing of office, industrial, and retail properties at prestigious and strategically chosen locations. Regarding current accomplishments, as well as upcoming projects, we spoke to Bojan Ljubičić, Office Asset Class Director at Marera Properties.

The company Marera Properties attracted a great deal of interest and attention through its acquisitions of older buildings and some of Belgrade’s landmarks. What made you choose this kind of approach?

In our company’s development so far and the office asset class I represent, we placed a special emphasis on the reconstruction of older buildings and the preservation of the cultural and historic heritage in downtown Belgrade. That is our local niche market and something we are especially proud of, since we are witness to the revival of Belgrade’s landmarks, some of which have remained derelict in a bad need of repair for several years. As one of the examples, I would like to pinpoint the reconstruction of Kalemegdan Business Center – a former “Beko” factory, which remained roofless and windowless for a decade at the central downtown location in Lower Dorćol. Today, this building is a multifunctional business center with more than two thousand employees, whose daily needs are met by an array of surrounding service facilities and shops, thus further contributing to the development of the entire immediate area.

You acquired Belgrade Palace last November. A year or so after the acquisition, you announced its imminent opening. What has been done as part of Palace’s reconstruction?

Belgrade Palace opening, the overhaul of which was performed over a 12-month period, represents a significant step forward for our company. It is the pinnacle of our team’s dedication and efforts from all segments and asset classes. The 20 thousand square meters of Palace’s interior have been completely refurbished to meet the A class office property standards and the needs of modern business activities and practices. The outside of Belgrade Palace was freshened up, whilst paying special attention to the preservation thereof, since the building bears the cultural and historic heritage status protected by the Belgrade City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Eight million euros was invested in the renovation, which is the largest investment into this edifice ever since its construction.

What does the interior of the building look like now, which was, as you stated, fully refurbished?

Latest generation elevators were installed. Moreover, all electrical, plumbing, and other installations have been replaced and the natural ventilation system introduced. Furthermore, the smart building management system, which will improve the building’s energy efficiency, was also put in place. At the time of its construction, Belgrade Palace was considered an architectural miracle, with more than 20 construction and installation methods used and applied for the very first time in the Balkans. Following in the same footsteps, we also wanted to show how this smart building from the time of its construction can again be a beacon for breaking boundaries in architecture and technology. I would especially like to mention the construction of real “green oases” within spacious 5th and 6th floor terraces. These terraces feature natural greenery to resemble actual parks, but with fully equipped work zones allowing for open-air meetings and other events to be organized and held.

What has been the interest of potential tenants like for Belgrade Palace thus far? Do you know what are the predominant industries potential tenants moving into Belgrade Palace are from?

The very first tenants will start moving in from 01 January 2022 and the interest for this reimagined building has been great. At this moment in time, 95% of the building has already been leased out, which is beyond our expectations. Following market trends, most tenants come from the IT industry, as well as the energy, transportation, and logistics sectors. The tenants are larger companies, many of which have decided to lease more than one floor to meet their needs. At the moment, the average square meterage of leased space is 1,000.

The BIGZ Building represents one of the greatest achievements of Yugoslav modern architecture. What will this building look like after its reconstruction and what will be its main purpose?

The reconstruction of the largest printing house in the Balkans – BIGZ, which we acquired together with our partner “Aleksandar gradnja”, began by clearing the surrounding terrain. This 40-thousand-square-meter cult building by the architect Dragiša Brašovan will be adopted to meet the standards and needs of a multifunctional A class business center, featuring industrial design, monumental 4.6-meter ceilings, modern details, and contemporary solutions. What is a rarity is the fact that some of the individual floors span across 3.500 square meters, providing for offices of different sizes and interior design solutions to meet the needs and wants of any tenant. Large, panoramic windows adorning the building should also be mentioned, as they will make the interior bright and pleasurable to work in.

What is the value of the BIGZ Building renovation project and when will it be opened?

First and foremost, I would like to use the opportunity to remind the public that the BIGZ Building was erected in the late 1930s. Taken into consideration its size and complexity, the reconstruction thereof is the largest endeavor of its kind to ever be performed on a building protected by the Belgrade City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. The planned total value of the investment in reconstruction is 20 million euros, with a one-year reconstruction period, which means that the first tenants would start moving in from January 2023.

Last, but not least, please do tell us something more about the company and its future development direction?

Marera Properties is a company with a portfolio of more than 200 thousand square meters of office, retail, and industrial properties throughout the country. Furthermore, the company is in the top 4 office asset class real estate investors in Serbia, while its current office property offer in downtown Belgrade makes it a leader therein. In terms of future development and direction, we plan to continue our growth and maintain our stronghold as the market pioneer, based on clearly defined and strategically developed short- and long-term business goals.

The well-known city landmark popularly known as “Beogradjanka”, which was acquired by Marera Properties last November, will open its doors to the business community by the end of 2021., after only 12 months of comprehensive reconstruction.

“Interest in the A class office space in the renovated Palata Beograd is immense. At this moment, we can say that close to 70% of the office space has already been leased and based on the number of inquiries we receive on a regular basis, we believe that by the time the renovation is fully completed by the end of this year, the building will be occupied to the full capacity,” says Milana Sreckov, director of Marera Properties.

The comprehensive reconstruction of Palata Beograd – the former tallest building of the Balkans, the first smart building, and one of the most prominent symbols of the city – started at the end of last year. Investment worth more than eight million euros entails detailed renovation of the building interior from the 5th to the 23rd floor, as well as refurbishment of the façade, new windows, and exterior nighttime illumination.

“In reconstruction, we are implementing latest trends – in construction, technology and architecture. The best example of it is the already completed refurbishment of Kalemegdan Business Center – once a Beko factory building that was neglected and damaged with time. Today, this building represents a contemporary, multifunctional business center with more than 2,000 employees. In Palata Beograd, we will for example build green park zones in spacious terraces located on the 5th and 6th floor. This is an innovative concept that has not been implemented thus far on the local market,” says Sreckov.

In parallel with the construction works on Palata Beograd, the BIGZ building initial renovation works have begun. BIGZ will be completed by the end of 2022, as planned.

Marera Properties, founded in 2009, is a real-estate company engaged in acquisition, development, leasing and management of commercial properties. The company portfolio consists of more than 200,000m² of office, retail, and industrial properties across the country, which makes it one of the leading investors on the Serbian market.

Belgrade June 23rd, 2021. – Marera Investment Group, with its subsidiary Marera Properties, is the only commercial real estate investment company in Serbia that has received a long term rating score from the prestigious S&P Global Ratings agency. According to the S&P May 2021 report, Marera is a company with the growing potential due to its diversified portfolio, new acquisitions, high percentage of tenant occupancy, strong market position and proved operating performances.

“Marera’s portfolio benefits from good tenant diversification and the good quality of its office assets, mainly in and around Belgrade city center,” the report states.

S&P Global is an American credit rating agency, and one of the three most influential world agencies for credit ratings assessment. S&P issues credit ratings for public and private companies as well as states and state entities. In December of last year, Serbia was affirmed the previously issued BB+ rating.

“We are very proud of the fact that as a relatively young company we have been recognized by the global rating agency, which allows us international recognition and credibility. The rapid expansion and ambitious plans in terms of our positioning on the local market, as well as the world-class standards that we incorporate in our business practices, have contributed to us becoming the first company for commercial real estate investments that has received the B- credit rating score only a few years after it was established,” said Milana Sreckov, General Manager of Marera Properties.

Marera Properties, established in 2009, is a real estate company engaged in the acquisition, development, leasing and management of commercial properties. Over the last three years, Marera has developed a portfolio value of more than 145 million euros, which makes it one of the top investors on the Serbian real estate market. The portfolio consists of more than 200.000 m² office, retail, and industrial objects across the country. A special focus is on the office space in attractive locations in the core city center. With the recent acquisitions of the landmark buildings Palata Beograd and BIGZ, and following their reconstruction, Marera will significantly bolster the offer of A class office space in the country’s capital.

Belgrade 12th of May 2021 – After more than 40 years, on May 4th and 5th, citizens of Belgrade had a unique opportunity to enjoy the view of the capital from the 22nd floor of Palata Beograd. In addition to the unique view of the city, the event had a humanitarian character. The sum of 179,400 dinars from purchased tickets, Marera Properties, will double and donate to the Red Cross of Belgrade. Thus, a total of 358,800 dinars will be handed over to this institution. Palata Beograd is owned by Marera Properties since September last year and its extensive reconstruction is underway, until end of this year.

“Palata Beograd is one of the most important symbols of the city, so we have enabled citizens to experience the city from its viewpoint after more than 40 years, and at the same time, help the Red Cross of Belgrade in a creative and beautiful way.” Easter and May holidays were an ideal time, because in this period people are mostly focused on personal entertainment, and humanitarian organizations face a greater challenge. We are very satisfied with the interest in the event, during these two days, almost 2,000 citizens visited the lookout point. We thank everyone who participated and donated to the Red Cross in providing help for people in need,” said Marija Drakulić Šebez, Marketing Director of Marera Property Management.

Red Cross of Belgrade team was also on site and informed citizens about the actions of voluntary blood donation. Ivana Marisavljević Dašić, Secretary of this institution, pointed that citizens have always greatly supported their actions and programs organized independently or in partnership with responsible companies, such as Marera Properties.

“Marera Properties organized this event to support the programs of the Red cross of Belgrade and showed that if there is a will, there is always a way to show social responsibility. The funds collected in this beautiful two-day adventure will help our organization provide help for those in need, “said Ivana Marisavljević Dašić.

The event was in line with all epidemiological measures, with the obligatory protective masks, disinfections, and proper social distance maintenance.