Ušće Shopping Center

Ušće Shopping Center is a major retail, dining, leisure, and entertainment complex in New Belgrade, Belgrade. It forms part of the wider Ušće business-center development associated with the Ušće Tower and the second Ušće office tower, occupying a prominent position near the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The center is positioned as an urban destination rather than simply a collection of shops, combining fashion and specialty retail with restaurants, cafés, a multiplex cinema, bowling, casino entertainment, a hypermarket, and substantial parking capacity. The shopping center opened in April 2009. At opening, it was described as the largest shopping mall in Belgrade by total floor area and among the city’s most visited retail destinations. The complex covers approximately 130,000 square meters across six levels. Around 50,000 square meters is devoted to retail space, with roughly 150 shops, restaurants, and cafés. Subterranean areas include a hypermarket of approximately 4,000 square meters and two parking levels. Its entertainment offer includes an 11-screen multiplex cinema, a bowling alley, and a casino, giving the center a broader customer proposition than a conventional shopping arcade. The center’s setting is closely connected with the architectural and commercial redevelopment of Block 16 in New Belgrade. The first Ušće Tower, built in 1964 as a prominent modernist office building, was reconstructed after severe damage during the 1999 NATO airstrikes. MPC Holding purchased the tower in 2002, and subsequent plans for the site developed into a larger multifunctional urban center incorporating offices and a shopping mall. Although the mall is commonly discussed together with the Ušće Towers, it is a distinct retail property and brand. Ušće Shopping Center has competed in a rapidly expanding Belgrade retail market. Its position as an established destination was challenged in terms of overall size when Galerija Shopping Mall opened in Belgrade Waterfront in October 2020, although the comparison depends on whether floor area or visitor numbers is used. Ušće has continued to operate as a major commercial venue, supported by its central New Belgrade location, mixed tenant base, leisure facilities, and integration with surrounding office development. In July 2022, a major visual reimaging was announced. Dutch design company TT Design was identified as the designer of a renovation expected to cost approximately 17 million euros and to take around a year and a half. The proposed work was to be carried out in phases so that the center would not need to close completely. Plans included a more transparent interior and façade to increase daylight, as well as the introduction of shops and restaurants around the outer ground-floor perimeter and the surrounding plateau, which had previously been relatively underused. The reimaging was intended to refresh the center’s appearance and improve its relationship with the surrounding public space.

Ušće Shopping Center emerged from the redevelopment of Block 16 in New Belgrade, an area dominated by the landmark Ušće Tower and positioned near the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The wider site has a substantial architectural and political history. The original Ušće Tower was completed in 1964 as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. After the political and economic changes of the 1990s, the building was used by political organizations, broadcasters, and commercial tenants. It was heavily damaged by NATO airstrikes on 21 April 1999 but remained structurally intact. MPC Holding, associated with businessman Petar Matić, acquired the Ušće Tower in 2002. Plans for a broader multifunctional complex followed, with the redevelopment concept combining office accommodation and a shopping mall. The first tower was reconstructed between 2003 and 2005, while the planned retail component was developed as a substantially larger project than the mall originally envisioned in the early design competition. The shopping center opened in April 2009. At launch, Ušće was one of Belgrade’s most prominent modern retail developments. Its approximately 130,000-square-meter complex extended across six levels, including about 50,000 square meters of retail space. The center offered approximately 150 stores, restaurants, and cafés, alongside an 11-screen multiplex cinema, bowling, casino entertainment, a hypermarket, and two underground parking levels. This combination made it a destination for shopping, dining, and leisure as well as a service facility for nearby office workers and residents of New Belgrade. The shopping center operated within a wider Ušće business environment. A second office tower, planned for years after the construction of the original tower, began construction in 2018 and opened in June 2020. The additional office development reinforced the mixed-use character of the area and connected the mall with a larger commercial complex. The wider Ušće development is therefore often described as an integrated office, retail, and entertainment destination, although the shopping center remains a separate brand and property component. Ušće’s competitive context changed after the opening of Galerija Shopping Mall in Belgrade Waterfront in October 2020. Galerija surpassed Ušće in total size, while Ušće retained its established location, visitor base, tenant infrastructure, and entertainment offer. In July 2022, a significant visual reimaging was announced. TT Design of the Netherlands was selected for the design, and the proposed investment was reported at approximately 17 million euros. The planned renovation was to proceed in phases, avoiding a complete closure. Proposed changes included a more transparent façade and interior, improved access to daylight, and the addition of shops and restaurants around the outer ground-floor edge and surrounding plateau. These plans represented an effort to modernize the center and make better use of its relationship with the public realm.

• 2022

  Visual reimaging announced

  [1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  A phased renovation and visual reimaging was announced, with TT Design identified as the designer and an expected investment of approximately 17 million euros.

• 2020

  Second Ušće office tower opens

  [1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  The second Ušće office tower officially opened on 11 June, strengthening the mixed-use business environment surrounding the shopping center.

• 2009

  Shopping center opens

  [1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Ušće Shopping Center opened in April as a major Belgrade retail and entertainment complex.

• 2002

  MPC Holding acquires the Ušće Tower

  [1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  MPC Holding purchased the Ušće Tower, creating the ownership and redevelopment context for the later mixed-use Ušće complex.

A large, centrally located Belgrade shopping and entertainment destination that combines mainstream and specialty retail, dining, leisure, and services within the wider Ušće business-center complex.

• Fashion, specialty retail, and services · 2009

  Retail stores

  The principal offer consists of approximately 150 stores and commercial units covering fashion, apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, electronics, household goods, and other consumer categories. The tenant mix is designed to serve both everyday shopping needs and destination visits.

• Food and beverage · 2009

  Dining and cafés

  Restaurants, cafés, and other food-service venues form a central part of the center’s destination positioning. The offer supports both short visits by office workers and longer leisure trips combining shopping with meals or refreshments.

• Entertainment · 2009

  Multiplex cinema

  The center includes an 11-screen multiplex cinema, extending the property beyond retail and making it a regional leisure destination for film audiences.

• Grocery and household retail · 2009

  Hypermarket

  A hypermarket of approximately 4,000 square meters is located in the underground part of the complex, providing grocery and household shopping within the wider mall destination.

• Bowling and casino entertainment · 2009

  Leisure facilities

  Bowling and casino facilities complement the cinema, retail, and food-and-beverage offer. Together they support Ušće’s positioning as a combined shopping and entertainment venue.

• 2022

  Phased visual reimaging and renovationStrategy

  Background

  The established shopping center announced a major design refresh in a competitive Belgrade retail market and after the opening of the larger Galerija Shopping Mall.

  Action taken

  Ušće announced a phased renovation designed by TT Design, including a more transparent façade and interior, increased daylight, and new retail and dining opportunities around the outer ground-floor perimeter.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material records the announcement and proposed scope but does not establish a final completion date or the completed outcome.

  Planned renovation investment. Approximately €17 million planned (Announced July 2022)

  Source

• 2022

  Ušće Shopping Center announces major visual reimaging[1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A planned visual renovation was announced in July 2022. The project, designed by Dutch company TT Design, was expected to cost approximately 17 million euros and was to be implemented in phases, with greater transparency, more daylight, and new perimeter retail and dining uses.

• 2009

  Ušće Shopping Center opens in New Belgrade[1]Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The shopping center opened in April 2009 as a large-scale retail and entertainment complex with approximately 130,000 square meters of total floor area, around 150 shops and food venues, a multiplex cinema, bowling, casino facilities, a hypermarket, and underground parking.

1. 1Ušće Towersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ušće Shopping Center official websiteusceshoppingcenter.com