Twelve years after Sammy Ofer Stadium opened in Haifa, its long-planned commercial area is finally moving forward. Asfan Group said this week that it received a building permit for the ground-floor retail center and has already signed leases for most of the 7,500 square meters of net commercial space, with openings expected at the start of next year.
The stadium was built at Haifa’s southwest entrance, opposite the Matam business district, with land designated for retail next to it. Until now, nothing had been built there. About a year and a half ago, Haifa’s economic company, which owns the stadium, held a BOT tender, meaning build-operate-transfer, for the commercial space. Asfan won the bid and agreed to pay 80 shekels per square meter. Its concession runs for 28 years, including three years for planning and construction and 25 years of operation.
Asfan said it has signed anchor tenants including Carrefour, which will lease about 3,500 square meters, and the Vivino Group, which will build a culinary complex of about 1,200 square meters featuring Vivino, Zozobra and Delino. The company also signed McDonald’s, Machsanei Chashmal and other chains. The retail area is located beneath the stadium, facing Route 4.
Asfan CEO Shlomi Akriash said the company does not view the stadium as isolated from its surroundings. “There is almost no connection between the stadium and the commercial center,” he said. “We see the complex as serving two very large neighborhoods in Haifa, Neot Peres nearby and the new Neot Navon neighborhood being built south of it and connected to Tirat Carmel.” He added that the complex will have a separate parking lot with 200 spaces, as promised in the tender. Average rent is expected to reach 150 shekels per square meter, with Carrefour paying a reduced rate and the other stores paying significantly more.
