The Akmerkez complex covers an area of 180,000 m2 (44 acres) and consists of a four-story shopping area, with two towers offering a total of 31 stories of office space,[4] 14 and 17 in two towers, and a third tower with 24 stories of residential areas. The shopping area, offering visitors 246 stores,[4] is spread over a triangular area connected to the surrounding main roads through 3 atria. The total rentable store area is 35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft).[1] There are 41 escalators, 2 panoramic elevators and 30 elevators. The cleaning, security and general maintenance is provided by a workforce of 250 people.
In 2005, the shopping mall was converted into a real estate investment company, and 49% of the stakes were offered to the public. The Dutch real estate investment company Corio owns 46.9% of the public shares.[4]
Akmerkez is visited by nearly 36,000–38,000[clarification needed] visitors on weekdays and 50,000 over the weekends.[3] The number of visitors reached around 1.5 million per month,[4][5] or 14 million a year. It is reported that the average visiting time is with three and half hours over the world average.[2]
The shopping mall started to host art exhibitions and events with works of significant artists in 2002.[3][5]
Renovation
In 2008, a renovation project for the shopping mall was announced.[6] Between 2013 and 2014, it underwent a complete renovation, which cost more than € 20 million.[1][2][7]
