NØRDIKA, a new shopping valley located in the south of Vilnius has just been opened

NØRDIKA, a new shopping valley located in the south of Vilnius has just been opened, with the mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, in attendance. Celebrating the launch, the mayor said, “I am delighted that foreign brands are increasingly picking Vilnius as a go to destination. The location is close to IKEA, and is easily accessed from the by-pass, airport, and city center – all of which will definitely make NØRDIKA a pull for families from Vilnius and across the region, including Minsk. My team at the City of Vilnius is working hard to make the south of Vilnius even more attractive to business: by promoting the development of the number of commercial, administrative and industrial projects, we expect to be able to build an area through which we will connect the city to the airport, making it possible to reach even the airport by bike.“

Following the official ceremony, the mayor didn’t miss out on the opportunity to try the shops for himself, emerging with bags bulging with treats for his children.

Committed to changing the shopping habits of the locals, NØRDIKA intends to lure customers away from shopping exclusively in the city center and the suburbs.

Located at 3 Vikingų Street, NØRDIKA will open in two phases. Half of the planned 40,000 square meters have been opened in the first phase. The total investment of the project will amount to in excess of 50 mln euros. There are over 30 local and international retail chain stores and restaurants operating in the shopping valley, offering everything from books, fashion, bikes, watches, pets, cosmetics, jewelry, as well as cafes and bakeries- guaranteeing customers a truly expansive shopping experience.

For the convenience of shoppers, parking space for over 2000 vehicles has been provided – well in excess of the country average.
The second phase of NØRDIKA will open in the spring of 2016, with retailers like Senukai and many other well-known brands.
Gage Morris, the site’s main investor, cites the south of Vilnius’s ease of accessibility, absence of existing shopping centers, and massive future potential as the main drivers for choosing the location.

“It is common practice in developed markets to locate large shopping centres on the urban periphery, where traffic is less built up, and you can get to places more quickly. We encourage Vilnius residents and visitors to change their shopping habits, and judging by the popularity of IKEA, this change already seems to be underway. It is also important to highlight that due to good connections with the city centre, it can take only five minutes to reach Vikingų Street”, believes Gage Morris.

According to the investor’s calculations, 200,000 people live within 5-10 minutes access to NØRDIKA,. This number is set to grow when the Western bypass is implemented. Gage Morris is convinced that a more even distribution of shopping centers is essential for sustainable urban development.

Peter Gage Morris, Barry Nabuurs and James Torpey are the main investors and developers of the shopping valley. The project developer is UAB VPH, and the general contractor is UAB YIT Kausta. The Lithuanian company Unitectus designed the building and its landscape, with consultations from Chapman Taylor, a well-known international bureau of architects.