ADG group, a Russian development company, shared its results for the second quarter of 2021. As brick & mortar retail in Russia is still on the way to recovery as Covid restrictions are tightened again, the company’s chain of neighbourhood centres has managed to showcase positive dynamics. The 8th centre was launched at the end of May and rooftops opened to host open-air festivals and edutainment projects for kids and adults during the summer season, including yoga classes and training sessions in partnership with sports retailer Decathlon.
New openings
On May 27, the Mesto Vstrechi Sayany (Sayany Meeting Place) neighbourhood centre opened in the South East of the city to become the 8th site in the chain. The Sayany cinema was built in 1981 but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was used as a furniture shop. Later in the ‘00s, the building was shut down as it was no longer safe and did not meet fire safety requirements. Thanks to the reconstruction, it has been given a second lease of life.
This peaceful and cosy neighbourhood centre will become the new place-to-be for locals with a variety of edutainment activities and leisure facilities. There will also be a family restaurant, regular lectures, and creative masterclasses for all ages. The historical cinema function will also be restored with a new four-screen multiplex. The new movie theatre will present a state of the art, next-generation cinema with ultra-modern screen and sound technologies, full recliner seating, automated ticketing systems and “u-choose” food and beverage areas. Moreover, here people can buy all the essential goods within walking distance from home.
“Mesto Vstrechi Sayany is our eights neighbourhood centre. We continue to develop our chain and at the same time improve the quality of life in Moscow suburbs, which helps our city become a modern megapolis with a highly developed and human-centred infrastructure,” commented Grigory Pecherskiy, managing partner of ADG group.
May saw the grand opening of rooftops in all neighbourhood centres. They offer a unique space for Moscow’s suburbs that will host lectures, masterclasses and open-air cinema through the entire summer season. During the opening festival weekend, guests could visit a DIY zone to create their own piece of art and contribute to the little community garden beds located right there, providing a sense of community and connection to the environment.
On the rooftops, people can also use sunbeds to relax or even work remotely and order food from restaurants in the neighbourhood centres. There is also a workout zone and special playground for children. Throughout the season, rooftops will be used as locations for themed markets and open-air festivals, music concerts and art spaces.
French sporting goods retailer Decathlon opened its first pop-up kiosk in Moscow located in the Mesto Vstrechi Angara neighbourhood centre. The new format is a small shop with a click & collect service that will be open for five months. It aims to increase brand awareness and market share around the full-format store nearby and serve as a new meeting place for sporting activities in the neighbourhood.
In June, recycling containers were installed. This is a collaboration with the Russian environmental charity Sobirator, which helps to recycle rare types of secondary raw materials such as pens, markers, corks, plastic cards, batteries, pill blisters, toothbrushes and bottle caps. This way more people will be able to get into a sustainable lifestyle and all the materials will be used or recycled responsibly – for example, corks are used for creative upcycling activities.