‘Poor choice of lease holders and faulty design are the major problems of local trade centers,’ says Alexei Karavaev, chairman of Yekaterinburg Management Companies Council.

‘A lot of trade centers lack product zones, so kids’ clothes may rub shoulders with men’s wear for no apparent reason. Tenants duplicate each other, or, worse still, anchor tenants compete with each other,’ Mr Karavaev explains.

‘As regards the planning of the premises, there are some mistakes as well, for instance, in terms of location of stairs, elevators, and restrooms, although very soon these will become the factors that will strongly (if not crucially) influence the customers’ shopping preferences,’ he says.