Marera Property Management is a company that has proven itself on the Serbian market through successful projects for the development of office, industrial and retail space for investor Marera Properties, for which it created a portfolio of commercial real estate
Explaining the secret of their business success, Marera Property Management GM Danilo Pušonja emphasises, among other things, the “tailor-made” offer that they’ve created for every client, in order to best respond to clients’ demands. And in forming such offers they take into consideration the class and purpose of the facility, the industry, the daily business routine etc.
Marera Property Management is certainly one of the fastest growing companies on our market, if not the fastest. What does that look like in figures?
The company was founded three years ago and thus far we have developed and are currently managing more than 200,000 square meters of real estate portfolio of commercial properties across office, industrial and retail segments. In Facility Management, we perform maintenance works on more than 500,000 square metres for more than 300 clients.
When it comes to the services that we provide, they encompass the entire life cycle of a property – from financial analysis, due diligence, valuation, project design and feasibility studies, to project management in the preparatory and construction phases and, last but not least, maintaining the building in the phase of exploitation, thereby optimising the property’s value and extending its lifespan.
In short, our services are based on the turnkey principle, while taking care to respect the given deadlines and budget. That’s actually our market diversification and what makes us unique, and what has ultimately resulted in the business successes we’re recording today.
Also testifying to this are the financial results, which clearly indicate that – compared to the previous year – we’ve almost doubled our revenues in terms of our facility management services alone. Growth of a similar percentage has followed in terms of the surface area of the properties that we service, while the number of clients that have contributed to that growth has more than doubled.
Your company offers integrated facility management solutions for modern and functional facilities in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. What does that include?
The services that come under the facility management segment include hygienic and technical maintenance, reception and security services, maintenance of green areas and the removal of snow deposits during the winter. This is an area that is rapidly gaining importance on the domestic market, and ever more companies are noticing the advantages of this kind of approach to facility maintenance, thanks primarily to the multinational companies for which this is commonplace.
There are numerous advantages to applying FM solutions, and I would highlight in particular the fact that service providers are the only point of contact for everything related to the functionality of the facility. This reduces the time and resources that companies spend significantly, as well as suggesting clear lines of responsibility and obligation. At the end of the day, this kind of approach – when viewed over the long run – brings savings and has a positive impact on the financial results of the companies that decide to engage experts in providing facility management services.
In which way do you create your offer? What guides your efforts to satisfy your clients’ specific needs?
We view each client separately, i.e., we strive to create a “tailor-made” offer in order for us to best respond to the demands of each client individually. Some of the key parameters we consider include: the class and purpose of the facility, the industry or field in which the client operates, and the number of employees required for us to determine the daily routine of operations. On the basis of information gathered by our team on the ground and with the help of the client, the needs are defined and an offer is created that best corresponds to the needs of the client.
Such an approach has certainly contributed to us building a strong list of references of clients for whom we provide hygiene maintenance services, which includes prominent names from the FMCG industry, such as Jaffa, Frikom, Nestle, Polimark and Somboled, as well as the Credit Agricole branch network and the Embassy of France in Belgrade. So, we have a diverse list of references that encompasses clients from different industries, with a special emphasis on the FMCG industry, which I would say is the most demanding sector, on the basis of my decades of experience in managing companies in this field.
What are the standout projects in the domain of property management that your company is currently engaged in?
Our most prominent client and the company for which we provide comprehensive services in terms of project management is Marera Properties – a company that has its own real estate portfolio that encompasses commercial facilities from the office, retail and industrial segments.
Among the projects completed, I would highlight the comprehensive reconstruction of the Kalemegdan Business Centre on the premises of the former Beko factory in Lower Dorćol, a building that was abandoned and dilapidated until recently and is today a multifunctional business space where more than 2,000 people work. A project that’s current now is the reconstruction of the Palace of Belgrade, a former symbol of the city which, once re-opened on 1st January 2022, will have regained its former glory and again shifted the boundaries through the applying of the latest architectural and technological solutions, as was the case during the period of its construction.
I would also mention BIGZ – another project to reconstruct a building that is a cultural and historical monument of the City of Belgrade that has special emotional significance for each of us individually. The renovation of BIGZ is currently in the initial phase, while works on its comprehensive reconstruction, perhaps the largest ever in our area, will be completed by 1st January 2023.
To conclude, from your personal perspective – and considering that you come from the FMCG sector, where you spent a long time working in management – how do you view the real estate industry and what are your expectations for the period ahead?
What represented a challenge for me when transitioning from the FMCG sector to real estate was the fact that it is one of our market’s fastest growing industries and that it probably has the greatest potential for further growth and development. The complexity and importance of the projects we work on, the development of the facility management industry on the local market, the introduction of new standards and innovations – together these all represent a challenge, but also rich and significant experience of working in the industry that I’ve chosen.
