The emblematic building complex of Aigli Zappeio, with a history of 120 years, is preparing to reopen its doors after four years of decommissioning.
According to information from sources close to the Grigoris company the reborn Aigli will have a soft opening in Novemberin order to test the individual functions of the themed areaswhile the grand opening will follow.
Already at the beginning of the summer this year, the first of the 6 thematic areas of the complex, Aigli Cinema, started operating.
It is recalled that the joint venture of Foodcorp Investments of the Kopelouzos group and Grigoris ABEE of Vlasis Georgatos, has taken over the management of the multipurpose hall for the next 20 years.
The property includes the restaurant of a total roofed area of 3,301.50 sq.m., which extends over four levels, namely the second basement with an area of 251.50 sq.m., the first basement with an area of 1,628.84 sq.m., and the ground floor with an area of 850.93 sq.m. .m. and on the first floor a surface area of 570.23 sq.m. as well as him summer cinema Aigli, surface area 766 sq.m. together with the surrounding area of 961.30 sq.m.
120 years of glamour
Since 1904, scholars, artists and ordinary everyday people gathered at the small tables of Aigli, “the most enjoyable center of Athens” as an advertisement of the time said, to enjoy their coffee or orange juice.
At the end of the 1910s, the cinema of Aigli, one of the first summer cinemas to operate in Athens, opened. With a capacity of 400 people today it is the oldest remaining open-air cinema in the city, which continues to operate as a listed monument since the 90s.
In the inter-war era and the post-war years, Aigli marked the social life and everyday life of the Athenians, forming a social-public space with a stratified scope.
Aigli continued its bustling and lively history in the next (many) years with the crème de la crème of the Athenian and international scene parading from its tables.
It should be noted that after the catastrophic fire in 1998, the operation of the complex was interrupted, only to be restored after a complete renovation of two and a half years.
The last tenant of Aigli was “Aigli Catering and Recreation Areas SA”, associated with the deceased Dimitris Kontominas. The company, after a series of court rulings, was forced to withdraw due to inability to pay its debts while leaving Zappeio a “fess” of approximately 350,000 euros.
Before Kontominas, the space was operated by Thanos Platis with Platis Bistrot Cafe in the early 2000s.
In the summer of 2022, the Committee of Olympiads and Endowments, which manages the Zappeion Megaro, held a competition for the twenty-year lease of the complex. In the tender in question, which required the lessee to have a minimum guaranteed annual turnover of 5 million euros, the only offer was made by the coffee chain Grigoris (as first reported by OT).
And a new concept from Grigoris
However, it is not only the Aigli project that Vlasis Georgatos is “running” at this time.
After the agreement for the purchase of 20% of the shares of Mailos by VG Holding (investment vehicle of the hyperactive entrepreneur), for a price of 4 million euros, a “fresh” and modern food court was launched in Thessaloniki with the management company Grigoris, which aims to establish itself as the new meeting point for those who want to enjoy a wide variety of tastes in a single, stylish space.
The new Foodcourt Thermi is located at the 5th kilometer of Harilaou-Thermi, in one of the fastest growing areas of Thessaloniki. It hosts 8 different and consumer favorite food concepts and is designed so that each corner has its own identity.
With over 360 stores in Greece, Cyprus, Germany and Romania, the Grigoris restaurant chain is constantly growing and currently occupies the 10th place in the European ranking of the largest coffee chains.
Source: ot.gr
#Aigli #Zappeio #Opens #years #concept
