Starbucks, Mr. Frango da Guia, Wok to Walk, Butcher Burger, Hanami Sushi, Nata Lisboa and Don Costini – these are the new brands that, from November, will be part of the Forum Algarve's renovated restaurant area, which will have more 150 seats plus a terrace lounge outdoors.
Sérgio Santos, administrator of Forum Algarve, told the Sul Informação that the works that are taking place in the center in the restaurant area «should be ready by the end of October or beginning of November» and will «allow our visitors to have more comfort, more places and a greater offer».
According to the official, "the new concepts were lacking and that our customers had been asking for them for a long time."
Besides the already announced Starbucks, will open “a Talho Burger, with indoor seating, a Wok to Walk, a Hanami Sushi, which will have its first operation in the Algarve here, just like Nata Lisboa. We will also have a restaurant of the Sr. Frango da Guia chain, also with indoor seating, and an Italian restaurant, D. Costini, which allows us to offer pizzas in a wood-fired oven».
Forum Algarve's administrator also highlights the creation of the «terrace area lounge, where people can enjoy lunch outdoors, or drink their coffee and eat their pastel de nata».
Another new feature in this area of the shopping center will be the installation of air conditioning. "During the next summer, we will have air conditioning which, also during the winter, will make the environment more welcoming so that people can come here on the coldest days."
Before the opening of the new restaurants, there will be news at Forum Algarve for the youngest: «we have a children's playground under construction, which is a park for design unique, which can only be found in the Algarve. We are aware that children will love the new space, however it is our requirement that all safety standards are met and completed and it is in the certification process. Everything points to the fact that, at the end of the month, we can enjoy this playground», says Sérgio Santos.
Outside the area of restoration, Sérgio Santos reveals that «more innovations are in the pipeline in terms of brands, which will please our visitors a lot». However, the names will remain, for now, to be revealed, since the negotiations are not concluded yet.
The brands' interest in opening stores at Forum Algarve has not waned and the shopping center has an occupancy rate «very close to 100%».
There has long been talk of expanding the Forum beyond the limits it currently occupies. Sérgio Santos says that this scenario is not yet being considered, but it could even materialize. “There are a large number of brands that have already expressed their desire to enter the centre. At this point, we study all the possibilities. If an expansion is not on the table, it is something that we cannot rule out, given the interest of shopkeepers and other entities».
On the 27th of September, MAR Shopping Algarve will open its doors, but Sérgio Santos says that the arrival of a new competitor, located about 10 kilometers from the Forum, will not change the strategy of the Faro shopping centre.
“In 2014, we already knew that the biggest complex in the Algarve was going to be built ten kilometers away. But we have been in the market for 16 years, located at the entrance of Faro. Our record is to maintain the management philosophy we have for this space, which is more than a shopping center», says the person in charge.
Sérgio Santos emphasizes that «new brands were introduced, anticipating the competition that will arise ten kilometers from the center, which guarantee quality to those who visit us. We have a large FNAC, the biggest Mango in the Algarve, the only GMS Apple Store, the only Samsung Store, we are the only center with the strongest brands in dietetics, Celeiro and Terra Pura, we have the only Nespresso store in the Algarve , we're going to have Starbucks, we've had the cinemas changed to NOS, we've had the introduction of a Lefties, we'll have the largest restaurant area in the Algarve in Shopping Center…».
The Forum administrator says he has no doubts that «Ikea will carry out a quality project, but Forum Algarve will continue with a philosophy of management, of constant dynamization of events, of being a place where people meet, in a convenient, comfortable way. , in a space with smaller dimensions and where they can find all the brands, products and services they need».
Among Forum Algarve's services, there is one that is unique. The shopping center has a “Pet Friendly” space, «where people can come with their pets and enjoy an area with a bathroom, a drinking fountain, a leisure space for the guardians and animals. There is also the free availability of muzzles and leashes and a unique service: if the person is accompanied by a four-legged friend, and needs to go get lunch, if they go to the information desk, and if they pay in cash, we drive we go to the food court and deliver the meal at the information desk, since the food area is closed to pets», concludes Sérgio Santos.
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