Atrium Polska announced the inauguration of a new retail space at Atrium Targówek in Warsaw. On 25 October, a new fashion alley was opened with 32 shops, introducing the most recent retail concepts and 27 totally new Polish and international brands to the shopping centre. The food court area has also received a new upgraded look. Following the remodelling, 8,600 sqm of new leasable area was added to bring the total GLA to 60,600 sqm. The refurbishment and modernisation programme has meant the centre has become the number one retail, service and entertainment choice in this part of the Warsaw, offering its customers an inspiring world to spend their time of leisure.
Atrium Targówek sets the tone for the neighbourhood
It is one of the largest shopping centres in the Polish capital, and after its remodelling and upgrade, it offers as an inspiring choice for Warsaw inhabitants to spend their free time. A new wing was added to Atrium Targówek to accommodate the fashion alley. The entire façade and entrance zones of the centre were redesigned from scratch and thoroughly modernised. The food court was revitalised, along with the toilet facilities. The extension was completed in the record breaking time of 12 months.
“Atrium Targówek is a unique centre located in a rapidly developing district with a number of residential projects under construction. The urban infrastructure is growing together with the surrounding residential area. Atrium Targowek was the first of its kind in Warsaw and over the past 20 years has become a well-known and visited destination for local residents and for the people of Warsaw. The overall program involved a refurbishment of the existing mall together with an extension, improving the quality and offer to match its position and role Atrium Targowek plays in the local community. Our primary intention was to provide new, positive and inspiring experiences to consumers and to adapt the centre to new ways of spending free time,” says Scott Dwyer, COO of Atrium Group.
Even more space for fashion
Atrium Targówek, not only popular amongst residents of Targówek and Białołęka districts but also residents of other parts of Warsaw and the suburbs, has catered for the expectations of its tenants, who wished to expand the retail space of their shops. With the centre’s extension, the key fashion tenants received more space to display their collections and to create a new shopping experience associated with their brands for the shopping centre’s customers. The complicated project of modernisation and redevelopment of the centre took merely 12 months while preserving full operation of the shopping centre.
As part of the centre’s extension, a fashion alley with well-known international and Polish brands was created. A modern H&M store was opened as the showcase of the fashion alley and now it allures visitors with the centre’s first two-storey shopfront, which displays new brand’s collections over 3,200 sqm on two levels. Some of the recognised fashion brands, such as ZARA, Stradivarius, Mohito and Ryłko, that have a long history at Atrium Targówek reopened their shops in new locations with new retail concepts. The new alley also includes the addition of two new Inditex Group brands to the shopping centre, namely Bershka and Pull and Bear. The following fashion brands make their premiere in Atrium Targówek: Guess, Medicine, KMX Fashion, Etam, Greenpoint, Anabel Arto, jewelers TOUS, By Dziubeka, Swarovski and Leksus Gold & Silver.
“The extension has enabled our key fashion tenants to open larger flagship stores, arranged according to new design concepts and adapted to current trends and expectations of our visitors. This entire complicated project took us merely 12 months, with the works being carried out within a fully functional shopping centre. We minimized the inconvenience associated with such a thorough redevelopment and quickly returned the centre to our customers, with enough time to enjoy before Christmas,” comments Graham Kilbane, Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Atrium Group.
New unique façade
Atrium Targówek was not only given an interior makeover and an extension to accommodate a greater number of tenants but also a completely new in terms of lines, proportions, and visual layer, external façade. The refreshingly new, modern and visually-pleasing façade was made with a specially designed system of textured coated metal panels. All elements were designed in the same white colour to achieve a light-shadow effect on bent and openwork panels. The effect is boosted by the LED illumination installed in selected panels of the façade. Thanks to this idea, the shopping centre’s appearance by night commands a totally different effect and aesthetic than what can be seen during the day.
Glass planes, interwoven into the perforated metal panels along the entire length of the façade, provide additional decorative elements, which, with their rich green and turquoise colours, relate to the centre’s surroundings – the greenness of trees and shrubs of the nearby woodland. This array of colours with plant motives (tree branches and leaves) was also applied to the entrance zones to bring the soothing green landscape of the Targówek district into the centre’s interior.
Remodelled food court
The food court area received a thorough facelift as part of the modernisation project. Its functional arrangement was changed by doubling the amount of seating area. A larger surface area facilitates access to restaurants. Various expectations of visitors have been met, for example, the need to use a laptop, chill out, have a business lunch or enjoy a meal together with children. For that upholstery has been adapted, being made from durable, and stain- resistant sailing cloth.
This is a shopping centre that adapts to the needs of visitors, and not the other way around. Customers arriving in cars benefit from a covered car park with 2 200 parking spaces, a vehicle identification system and car sharing infrastructure. A bike repair point is available for cyclists. The new visual identification system facilitates navigation in the new Atrium Targówek. On top of this, the shopping galleries and toilet facilities have been revitalised, and the entire lighting system in the Shopping Centre has been replaced with LED lighting. To cater to families with children, Atrium Targówek now offers playgrounds that have been long awaited by its customers. Patents’ rooms, including a place where baby food can be warmed up, have been made available. Washbasins constructed at a height suitable for children have been added to the toilets.
“The new Atrium Targówek is a place not only with a wide selection of recognized Polish and international brands to from, but also a place of leisure where you can while your time away with your family in the food court every day of the week, including on Sunday. Atrium Targówek offers a consistent, diverse and comprehensive retail, service and entertainment experience, perfectly suited to the contemporary lifestyles of the local community. We hope that our regular customers will be proud of the new look of their centre, and will find new reasons to gladly visit the centre again,” says Michal Nowakowski, director of Atrium Targówek shopping centre.
There is two-way interaction between Atrium Targówek and its visitors which ultimately shapes the space and functionalities of the centre. The shopping centre evolves as its guests evolve, and adapts to their needs and lifestyles. Atrium Targówek is a friendly, caring and creative neighbour. It is the centre for positive emotions.