Wikipedia:Mega (Kazakhstan)

MEGA (Méga) - a Kazakhstani network of shopping and entertainment centers.

History
The Kazakh firm Astana Group, directed by entrepreneur Nurlan Smagulov, is in charge of the construction and development of MEGA malls. The network's first shopping malls were planned by MB Architects french company, while the MEGA Alma-Ata 2 project was built by british practice Chapman Taylor. MEGA malls are part of the International Council of Shopping Centers(ICSC).

On October 25, 2006, MEGA Alma-Ata mall opened its doors. In 2007, retail malls opened in Nursultan(at that moment Astana) and Shymkent, and MEGA in Aktobe in 2009. MEGA Alma-Ata 2 was the second phase of the shopping center in Alma-Ata, which was completed in 2013.

In August 2014, the second mall in Alma-Ata, called MEGA Park, was opened. At the opening of which was attended by Astana Group president Nurlan Smagulov, former Akim of Alma-Ata Akhmetzhan Yesimov and Chairman of the Board of Directors of national bank of Kazakhstan Alexander Pavlov.

In 2015 MEGA mall in Shymkent was sold to "local investors" and no longer belongs to Astana Group. In October 2016, it became known that MEGA Astana and MEGA Aktobe malls were sold to ADD Invest Properties (formerly: Karoc).

On January 11, 2021 president of Astana Group - Nurlan Smagulov announced personnel changes. Aydyn Kaimov became the new general director.

Government funding
The MEGA network received 3.1 billion tenge in subsidies from Kazakhstan's state initiative for competitive enterprise rehabilitation. During the presentation of the measures "On the Republican Budget for 2015-2017" and "On a Guaranteed Transfer from the National Fund for 2015-2017," Nurtai Sabilyanov, a member of Kazakhstan's Mazhilis, recommended that financial assistance to MEGA shopping malls should be discontinued.

List

 * MEGA Silk Way in Astana. Opened on March 23, 2017 (the technical opening took place on March 6). It is located on Kabanbay Batyr Street, near the EXPO-2017 pavilion. The area of MEGA Silk Way is 140 thousand square meters. The ratio of commercial area to total area is 62 percent, 32 percent of which are educational, sports, entertainment and social projects.
 * MEGA Alma-Ata in Alma-Ata. Opened on October 25, 2006. It is located at 247a Rozybakiyev Street. The 85,629 m² shopping center has 120 boutiques, several hypermarkets, cafes and restaurants, a food court, multiplex movie theater, a rock climbing wall, an ice rink and an underground parking lot. In the fall of 2013, MEGA Alma-Ata was expanded and the additional space was named MEGA Alma-Ata 2. Mega Alma-Ata 2 has an area of 75,793 m²


 * MEGA Park in Alma-Ata, located at the intersection of Seyfullina and Makataeva Streets. The total area of the center: 106 226 square meters, it has more than a hundred boutiques, a supermarket, a food court, over two dozen cafes and restaurants and a cinema.

 No longer owned by the Astana Group 


 * MEGA Astana in Astana. The total area of the center reaches 34 500 square meters, it has 87 boutiques, several hypermarkets, a food court, about a dozen restaurants, a rock climbing wall, a children's entertainment park and a multiplex cinema. Opened October 25, 2007
 * MEGA Shymkent in Shymkent opened on September 27, 2007. The area of the center is 28 523 sq. m. and includes several restaurants, a food court, several hypermarkets, a children's park, an ice rink, a movie theater and an underground parking lot
 * MEGA Aktobe opened on October 16, 2009. The 45,355 square meter center has 75 boutiques, a couple of hypermarkets, over a dozen cafes and restaurants, a food court, a children's entertainment park and a multiplex cinema