Varna Towers retail centre, expected to open in the autumn of 2009, has signed a rent contract with Slovenian retail company Mercator, weekly Stroitelstvo Gradut reported. Mercator and Varna Towers management signed the contract in March 2009 in Sofia. Mercator's hypermarket in the Varna Towers will be the chain's first in the seaside city and one of the first in Bulgaria. Varna Towers aims to become the primary retail and recreation centre in Varna. It was initially planned to combine the retail and entertainment areas with extensive office and administration space in the two towers on either side of the mall, but the office development has been put on hold because of insufficient funding. The developers claim that the facility will have "a modern, exclusive design, strategic location, functional and practical interior design and the trade and office area will meet and exceed all expectations of our clients which will ultimately guarantees the success of the project as a whole", Stroitelstvo Gradut reported. Varna Towers is in one of the busiest junctions of Varna, facing Vladislav Varnenchik Boulevard. In spite of the busy location, the developers claim that Varna Towers will offer "excellent car access and ample parking capacity, with three underground levels and a outdoors level, as well as first grade auxiliary infrastructure aimed to facilitate pedestrians. The unique and unprecedented design of the complex is bound to transform Varna Towers into a local landmark".