Shopping Centers Russia Февраль 2023 | Page 65

attention to such offers. However, usually the sales channels of the shopping malls are different: they apply to specialized funds, directly to investors or international brokers» says Alexander Nazarov, CEO of Nazarov&Partners (Novosibirsk).

In accordance with the lawyer Arseniya Razumovskaya, there are different channels for selling shopping malls. It can be the selling of a business or a real estate property.

«A working shopping centre with current tenants is more likely to be sold from auctions held within bankruptcy proceedings. Moreover, running shopping malls can be posted on public advertising sites as a 'packaged business» explains Razumovskaya.

According to her, most frequently shopping centres are sold because of the necessity to release money, because of the emigration or the bankruptcy of the primary legal entity.

Popular and spacious facilities are usually not for sale in the public access, adds Ivan Tatarinov, executive director of development company Glincom. Such shopping malls, typically, get the interest of institutional investors, who communicate directly with the seller involving large consulting companies.

Running malls can be displayed on public ad websites as a «packaged business»

«Less realizable malls are traded on the open market with brokers' help. I would even say this: the less marketable an object is, the wider coverage it will get when sold, because it will be on the market for a long time» explains Tatarinov.

Gleb Belavin, the head of the expert council in the Roslogistika sector of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, believes that selling shopping malls via the Internet is not a successful idea.

«To my mind, placing such an object on Avito is the same as selling it at an auto market. The odds are slim, as any retail property, from a stall near the metro to large facilities like the «Mega» or luxury like the «Vremena Goda», requires preparatory work, which the owner is not always capable of doing on his own» argues Belavin.

According to Khakberdieva, the majority of offers on the Internet are outdated and small properties of up to 10,000 square meters. Large professional facilities are not sold there. Even if there is an ad for a well-known shopping centre, it is a trap for the investor — it is likely that this property is «withdrawn from sale» and the would-be buyer will be offered a different one.

«Online boards are a great way to sell properties with a budget of up to 300-500 million rubles from private investors or individuals. Its selling can be connected to a variety of factors that are often caused by the owner's unwillingness to invest further in the property» concludes Khakberdiyeva.

How much is being sold?

According to the Russian Council of Shopping Centres, approximately 200 malls are now in bankruptcy or pre-bankruptcy. This is because loans were taken from banks to build shopping centres. And the number of visitors has fallen drastically because of the sanctions. These facilities are likely to be sold off.