TZUM

The Central Department Store (abbreviated as TZUM) is an upmarket department store in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, that opened in 1957 and is housed in a monumental edifice (part of The Largo complex) on one of the city’s main boulevards.

The building of the shop started in 1955 and was completed by the end of 1956, when the first customers entered TZUM. It was dedicated at a ceremony in 1957. Kosta Nikolov designed the structure, which has a total area of 20,570 m2. It has a covered inner yard that spans five of the building’s seven storeys.

Under the guidance of architect Atanas Nikolov, TZUM underwent substantial refurbishment in 1986. Two years later, the shop was visited by 120,000 people per day, and it sold 123,000 products every day. Following the democratic reforms in 1989, the shop remained public property until it was sold to Hong Kong fund manager Regent Pacific Group for DM 30 million (about €15 million). In 1999–2000, Regent spent $10.2 million to convert the site into a mixed-use office and retail facility. TZUM was changed into a costly boutique rather than a people’s shop, with the daily client count dropping to 7,000. Georgi Gergov, a Plovdiv businessman, purchased TZUM on October 19, 2004.

World brands like as Laura Ashley, Timberland, Nautica, Fila, Fred Perry, Adidas, Mexx, Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski, Miss Sixty, Nike, Bagatt, Altnbaş, and Rossignol have outlets at TZUM as of 2005. The rents are among the highest in Bulgaria, only rivaled by the neighboring Vitosha Boulevard.