International shopping centre specialist Sonae Sierra has been appointed by German development firm Bayerische Hausbau to manage the shopping centre component for the large-scale Bikini project in Berlin.

The contract comprises the centre management, the leasing management as well as the commercial and operational management of the 20,000 m2 area envisaged for retail, services and gastronomy. The owner, Bayerische Hausbau, is currently refurbishing the listed building complex in the heart of West Berlin. The complex is scheduled to open in 2013.

The contract reinforces Sonae Sierra's strategy to provide services for third party owned shopping centres, the company said in a statement on Thursday. It comes hard on the heels of Sonae Sierra's mandate to manage Le Isole shopping centre in Italy in May and the Plaza Éboli and El Rosal malls in Spain back in March.