History
The history of Ekazent.
How Ekazent became Austria's leading activator of retail property.
Ekazent is an Austrian retail sector company with a particularly rich tradition: Ekazent was founded in 1961 by the central trustee savings bank, the Zentralsparkasse, in the municipality of Vienna as an operating company for the Hietzing shopping center, the first shopping center in Austria.
This was followed by rapid expansion: Around 20 rows of shops and several district shopping centers (Per Albin Hansson Center, Großfeld Center, Hernals Center, Simmering Center) were constructed in Vienna, which still remain today as the cornerstones of a functioning system of local shopping facilities. The most prominent building of this type is the Donauzentrum, Vienna’s largest shopping center, which Ekazent developed, ran and then sold in 1995.
Since the mid-1980s Ekazent has also broadened its activities to include other provinces, notably Lower Austria, Salzburg and Styria. Our first activities in the Czech Republic began in the 1990s when we provided consultancy for the development of a shopping center in Prague.
It is worth noting that all the shopping centers currently being run by Ekazent are either in city centres or are meaningfully integrated into cities.
In the meantime Ekazent has developed into the Austrian market leader in the development and management of retail properties.
Milestones in the history of Ekazent:
1961 |
Ekazent founded |
1964 |
Opening of Ekazent-Hietzing (Vienna) - Construction and opening of shopping premises, a hotel, offices and car park - the first shopping center in Austria |
1965 |
Opening of the Stadlau Süd row of shops (Vienna 22) |
1971 |
Opening of the Grossfeld center (Vienna 21) |
1972 |
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1975 |
Opening of the Donauzentrum (development and construction of what is still the largest shopping center in Vienna, modules 1-3, Vienna 22) |
1981 |
Opening of the Simmering shopping center (Vienna 11) with an event center |
1986 |
Opening of the Hernals shopping center, module 1 (Vienna 17) |
1987 |
Opening of the expansion to the Donauzentrum shop and office building, module 4 (Vienna 22) |
1988 |
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1989 |
Expansion of the Donauzentrum: Additional storey added to module 1 (Vienna 22) |
1990 |
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1992 |
Took over the center management of the Traisenpark (shopping center and office building) St. Pölten (Lower Austria) |
1993 |
Renovation of the Vienna office building at Mariahilfer Straße/Lindengasse (Vienna 7) |
1994 |
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1995 |
Took over the center management of the Ringstrassen-Galerien (Vienna 1) |
2000 |
Opening of the Park Hostivar shopping center (Prague) |
2001 |
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2002 |
Development and letting of the Fachmarktzentrum Wolfsberg (Carinthia) |
2003 |
Presentation of EKCELLENCE – the quality improvement and quality assurance programme for retail |
2004 |
Took over the center management of the M4 Wörgl shopping center (Tyrol) |
2005 |
Consultancy services for the Palladium shopping center (Prague) |
2006 |
As part of the reorganisation of the property development department within the group run by the property-based private foundation, the building administration agendas were handed over to the new partner in the group, M + W Zander.
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2007 |
Expansion and relaunch of the Schwechat center (Lower Austria) |
2008 |
Took over the center management of the West Gate Shopping City Zagreb (Croatia)
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2009 |
Acceptance of consultancy assignment during construction of the "Kufstein Galerien" in Tyrol |
2010 |
Co-operation with Viennese shopping streets to train staff |
Move to the Nussdorferstraße office building in Vienna’s 9th district
Opening of the Schwechat shopping center (Lower Austria)
Took over the center management of the Alpenstraße shopping center (Salzburg) 
Opening of the expansion to the Simmering shopping center (Vienna 11)
Took over the center management of the Meiselmarkt (Vienna 15) Took over the center management of the Vösendorf retail park (Lower Austria)
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