Shopping centre Spice invests EUR 9 million in interior renovation

During the interior renovation project, 7,565 square metres of the Spice shopping centre were renovated. Refurbishment was carried out in different segments, including the replacement of decorative railings and floor tiles as well as introduction of new finishing solutions. Several key areas of the shopping centre were reconstructed, including entrance portals, atria, Fashion Avenue and Palm Avenue. The extensive refurbishment work in the areas for visitors of the mall also took into account the well-being of employees by renovating employee rest rooms. In addition, significant sustainable solutions have been introduced at the shopping centre to reduce its ecological footprint on the environment.

“Over the past 10 years, shopping centres’ role has changed considerably: they are no longer just a place to buy the goods you want, they have also become a destination for entertainment and recreation. When designing the new interiors, our focus was and will be on visitors’ experience and emotional well-being. That is why we have taken a bold step of moving away from the traditional shopping centre interior, placing much-needed functionality and aesthetic pleasure on equal footing, and integrating elements with added artistic value into the interiors. It is important for us to make our visitors feel at home and relax, so we would like to thank the entire project team who have brought this vision to life,” says Iveta Priedīte, head of Spice and Spice Home shopping centres.

The designs of the new shopping centre interior were inspired by Latvian nature and the colours, shapes and textures found in Latvian nature. These natural elements are indirectly reflected in the interiors, creating a sense of nature’s presence in indoor spaces.

“The new interior embodies an unprecedented concept of shopping environment – it no longer focuses on the consumption culture, but cares about the well-being of visitors, creating a peaceful and harmonious feeling that makes visitors want to stay longer and take their time.  When designing the interior, we paid great attention not only to durability and aesthetics of the materials, but also to their diversity, introducing different shapes and textures to further expand visitors’ experience,” says interior designer Nora Gavare, the author of Spice shopping centre interior renovation project and founder of NŌR Design.

In addition to the interior renovation project, tenants and their stores have also underwent a dramatic change. Over the last two years, 28 new brands have joined Spice, most of them with new concept stores, which together cover an area of more than 3,500 square metres at Spice. Currently, Spice shopping centre features the largest Sportland sporting goods store in Latvia, as well as the newest Zara concept store, which is currently the only store in the Baltics to offer visitors a digitized shopping experience and RFID technology. Since 2022, 30 stores at Spice have been renovated with a total retail space of more than 14,000 square metres.

In the meantime, five new tenants have joined Spice Home, occupying a total area of over 4,200 square metres at the shopping centre. These include the newest concept store of electrical products retailer Euronics, which is the only store of this type in the Baltics. Spice Home is also home to Miele, a German brand of quality home appliances that has opened its first brand store in a shopping centre in Latvia, and MyFitness, a modern sports and active recreation club. 10 tenants have renovated their stores, and the total renovated area is more than 7,600 square metres.

Sustainable solutions have been incorporated into the interior design as well as systems for management of internal resources. The new interior is designed to be durable and age-resistant, and the choice of materials used favours Latvian-made materials to reduce the ecological footprint of the delivery process. The new interior also integrates several works by Latvian artists, including artistic elements by the popular Latvian glass artist Artis Nīmanis. For example, one of his artworks reflecting the flow of water is displayed above the new water filling point. The shopping centre has also replaced its light fittings with LEDs with intelligent controls, which adjust intensity of lighting to different times of the day, upgraded its heating and ventilation systems, and overhauled its water supply systems to improve water efficiency at the shopping centre.

Shopping centre Spice is located at 29 Lielirbes Street in Riga.  The interior renovation project was designed by Kalve architects in collaboration with designer Nora Gavare. Project management and supervision - Fabrum, Sanita Rubene. Main contractors – PRO DEV, project manager Reinis Goldšmits, and AIMASA, project manager Raivis Mēnesis. Glass design elements – Ferrum Studio headed by artist Artis Nīmanis. Main suppliers: lighting fixtures – Lumenu Centrs, tiles – Apdares Materilālu Birojs, glass railings – Pilnstikla Studija. The project commenced in 2021.