Galaxy Investment Group was awarded in this-year’s edition of the prestigious competition SEE Real Estate Awards, which was held in Bucharest. The big award for the company is in the category “Refurbishment and extension project” and was given for the newly opened five-star hotel InterContinental Sofia, part of the company’s portfolio. InterContinental was completely renovated. The new wing with 54 rooms was built. The capacity of the hotel increased to 194 rooms and suites which deliver elegant décor with contemporary flair and full range of modern facilities. The Exclusive Club Lounge enables guest to enjoy a range of VIP services.  InterContinental Sofia has a dedicated floor and 635 square meters of event and conference space. It offers 5 meeting rooms specifically designed to deliver the finest event ambience through the combination of bright expansive spaces and state-of-the-art facilities.  SEE REAL ESTATE AWARDS is organized by Europa Property for the thirteenth consecutive year and aims to distinguish the most prominent companies and completed projects in the real estate market in SEE. The winners are selected by independent international jury according to several key criteria: overall market contribution, market innovation, commercial success, leadership, etc. “It is a great honor for us to receive this award. We are delighted to be honored with this high distinction for this important for us project. ", said Konstantin Boyadzhiev CEO of Galaxy Investment Group.  Galaxy Investment Group is among the companies nominated in the categories "Investor of the Year", “Residential Developer" and "Office Developer".

Galaxy Investment Group with 4 nominations in the prestigious competition SEE REAL ESTATE AWARDS 2018. The company has nominations for: Investor of the Year, Residential Developer, Office Developer and Refurbishment Project for the newly opened 5-star InterContinental Sofia Hotel. "For us, as an investor, it is and exceptional honor that we are nominated in 4 categories in one of the most prestigious SEE real estate competitions. Our completed projects are proof that the business environment in Bulgaria is becoming more and more favorable. With the assets, we have invested in last year, we aim to establish our country as a promising destination for international companies not only from Europe, but also from all over the world.", said Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group. SEE REAL ESTATE AWARDS annually gives prizes to the most prominent companies and completed projects in SEE. The winners are selected by independent international jury according to several key criteria: overall market contribution, market innovation, commercial success, leadership, etc. Meanwhile, interesting panel discussions will examine the real estate market during the event. SEE REAL ESTATE AWARDS is organized by Europa Property for the thirteenth consecutive year and will be held on 19 April 2018. in Bucharest, Romania.

Mr. Boyadzhiev, as representative of one of the leading investment companies in Bulgaria, what are your observations on the investment activity in our country? In the last year there has been a noticeable activity on the market and a penetration a new foreign investors in Bulgaria. The business environment is improving and more and more international companies are investing here. Such an example is the global hotel chain InterContinental, to which Galaxy Investment Group is a key partner in Bulgaria. The investors are looking for tax reliefs, cheaper labour, transparency, enforcement of European legislation and economic stability. As a member of the European Union, Bulgaria is a gateway for the companies towards the free European market. On the other hand, the local business gives more added value to the services it offers and this is its main driving force at the moment. But the most active sector which has attracted the most investments is the area of information technologies and outsourcing. Which are the main challenges facing the Bulgarian business according to you? Many challenges facing the investors but the main are connected to the labour market.  The absence of qualified workforce in some sectors of the Bulgarian economic implies more liberal terms of the legislative and regulative authorities towards the possibilities to attract workers from third countries. That’s why, we, Galaxy Investment Group, as major employer, welcome the approved by the National Assembly at the end of February amendments in the Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act, which amendments alleviate the administrative procedures and remove number of obstacles to provide employment of qualified workers from third countries. We consider this as positive signal to the investors and employers in Bulgaria and a serious request to overcome the risks of economic overloading because of the declining share of the population in active age as a result of the immigration and demographic processes. Fortunately Plovdiv as a University, Economic and Cultural Center consisting of young population still stands as oasis against the background of the alarming demographic trends in the country. Less than a month ago a prestigious ranking of Financial Times “European Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19” selects Plovdiv among the most attractive locations for future foreign investments. What is your prognosis for the development of the industrial areas market in Plovdiv and the region? The city has all the necessary resources and potential for development – excellent location, very good transport connectivity, human capital and good educational institutions.  The key companies increasingly choose Plovdiv as a base for their industrial and logistic business activity because of the developed infrastructure and the production capacity in the zone. Proof of this is the realized transactions in Industrial Park Markovo. It has very convenient location – next to the Plovdiv ring road and just a few miles away from Trakia highway. In addition the terrain, which has total area of 158 000 square meters, offers different possibilities for development, depending on the needs of the future investors. The project is extremely attractive as for small and major productions and companies thanks to the different sized plots and their possibility to be merged or divided. It is the presence of such factors that attracts major world producers in the region. How did Plovdiv managed to turn into the economic hub of Bulgaria? Besides the excellent location, well-developed infrastructure and low production costs, Plovdiv attracts more and more local companies and major world producers from different industries because of the university profile and qualified workforce. This led to enhanced search of office areas, which has to meet particular criteria. For this reason Galaxy Investment Group realized Office Park Plovdiv, which covers all requirements for building class A. The increased interest in the project became a reason to consider its expansion. A good sign that the city has a serious potential to attract business is the increased number of mortgage transactions. As catalyst in this direction, factors as low credit interests, the relative political stability and economic growth in the country, the gradual growth of the prices in the sector may be referred to, so as the more quality offers in “residential construction” sector. What is your prognosis for the market? I think that the activity of the buyers will depend primarily on the behaviour of the banks. But the overall trend is the real estate market to remain among the most attractive ones and the searching will be precisely in the direction high qualitative residential projects. That’s why Galaxy Investment Group as a company, complying with the key factors of the business sphere, in which it develops, started the construction of new residential park named Royal Garden, which purpose is to offset exactly the shortage of such type projects in one of the most sought after regions of the city.  Source: Economy Magazine 

The remarkable InterContinental Sofia is located at the heart of the Bulgarian capital, adjacent to the country’s primary government buildings and cultural highlights with convenient access to the business district. The hotel is owned by Galaxy Investment Group and is a part of company’s portfolio of luxury hotels. To meet the highest standards the building was entirely renovated. The new wing with 54 rooms was built. The capacity of the hotel increased to 194 rooms and suites which deliver elegant décor with contemporary flair and full range of modern facilities. The exclusive Club InterContinental lounge enables guest to enjoy a range of VIP services. The new a-la-carte restaurant of the hotel enchants the guests with variety of delicious dishes in cozy atmosphere. InterContinental Sofia has a dedicated floor and 635 square meters of event and conference space. It offers 5 meeting rooms specifically designed to deliver the finest event ambience through the combination of bright expansive spaces and state-of-the-art facilities. All rooms have modern equipment and technology to meet the needs of each event. The capacity of the biggest room is 240 people. InterContinental Sofia is a part of one of the world’s leading hotels companies with a presence in almost 100 countries and is expected to be one of the leading hotels in Bulgaria, setting the benchmark in the luxury hotel market.

For another year Royal Beach Mall is expected to become a preferred and leading shopping destination on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The hottest spot for lovers of fashion and new trends will open in the middle of May with new and popular brands for the people, who want to make quality shopping during their vacation. For the upcoming summer season in the Mall more than 90 shops will open. Among them are Multi Brand Store VIP Style, offering the world-famous brands Versace Jeans, Love Moschino and Fracomina.  In the shopping complex you can find the popular brands Moncler, Original Marines, Armani Outlet, Za-Za Underwear, LTB, Adelly Men’s Fashion, Bogner, U.S. Polo Assn., O’Neill, Altinbas, Samsonite&Petek 1855, Subra, Exess, Textura Barcelona, Sara Pen, New Silhouette, Refan, Paula Venti, Enzo Nori, ONYX, Enter Sport, VIVE Shop, KFC and many more. Royal Beach Mall is located in the heart of Sunny Beach, only 50 m from the sea cost. The Mall is part of the luxury five-star Barceló Royal Beach hotel, owned by Galaxy Investment Group. The commercial mix in the Mall is organized to meet the needs of each customer and can cover every aspect of the good stay. It includes fashion and sport shops, themed restaurants, coffee shops, pharmacy, children's center and a spa center. Sunny Beach is a desirable destination, with a growing interest not only from Russian tourists but also from many European tourists, some of whom preferer Bulgarian resorts more than the resorts of our southern neighbors. For the year 2017 the Bulgarian Black Sea was preferred most by German tourists. Germany is the key market, but other destinations like the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, the UK, and Austria, which also generate high volumes in the sector, should not be overlooked. For the current year, the industry is expected to grow by 7% to 10%, while the main target for the business is to sustain the increased interest from foreign tourists and turn it into sustainable trend.

Galaxy Investment Group presented attractive opportunities for investors who are looking for plots with completed infrastructure and build-to-suit plots at this year's edition of “Industrial Construction and Investments”. The event was held on 01.02.2018 and was visited by more than 300 business representatives. In the first panel of the program "Economy and Investments: Industrial zones and projects 2018" Stefan Karpuzov, Investment Manager at Galaxy Investment Group, pointed out the advantages of Industrial Park Markovo. Among them are the possibility of separating and merging of plots, development of industrial projects according to a specific assignment, favorable location, near three of the Pan-European Corridors (IV, VIII, X), Trakia highway and the newly built intermodal terminal. "Demand for Industrial Park Markovo comes mainly from investors who want to immediately start the construction process. We are trying to be flexible in order to help the companies to run their projects as quickly as possible. The industrial plots are ideal for the development of logistics and production activities.", commented Stefan Karpuzov. The conference made it clear that the main priority when choosing industrial plots is the fully completed infrastructure as it requires the most time. Another important factor is the workforce. Many companies already are investing in partnership programs between business and universities. Industrial Park Markovo is located next to the second largest city in Bulgaria and thus provides the necessary workforce for industrial and logistic projects in the area. More than 40,000 students are studying in 10 universities in Plovdiv. They provide annually qualified degree students in the fields of engineering, specialized manufacturing and logistics. Specialized and technical professional high schools in the city also provide well-trained and competitive and skilled labor. Additional information about Industrial Park Markovo you can see here.