Retail park developer PKB Inwest Budowa delivered five projects with a total area of around 28,500 sqm GLA last year in Poland. The new facilities were built in Stalowa Wola, Strzyżów, Pruszków and two in Olkusz. They will join the company’s extensive portfolio of 32 completed projects, some of which are still in the company’s portfolio and others have been sold to external partners.
“Since the establishment of the company, which has been operating in its current structure for over 10 years, we have been focusing on the comprehensive development of retail parks. We were preparing these types of projects even before they gained such enormous popularity on the market as we have seen in the last few years. Over 20 years of experience in the industry allows us to both expand our portfolio and implement projects for our external partners, for whom we carry out the entire investment process – starting from the selection of the location, through developing the concept of the facility, purchasing land, architectural design, obtaining the necessary permits, commercialization, construction, until the facility is put into operation,” says Jacek Ostwald, general partner of PKB Inwest Budowa.
The facilities developed by PKB Inwest Budowa include retail parks with areas ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 sqm. Of those completed last year, the largest is the park in Olkusz with an area of over 16,000 sqm, whose current owner is Napollo. The smallest one, completed at the end of November, is the Pruszków retail park in Nowa Wieś near Warsaw, with an area of over 2,000 sqm.
Regardless of their size, all PKB Inwest Budowa investments perfectly fit the concept of quick and convenient everyday shopping, offering customers products of well-known and popular brands such as Biedronka, Action, Pepco, Dealz, Rossmann as well as Sinsay, Diverse, Ochnik, Empik, Media Expert, Maxi Zoo and many others. The tenants also include DIY stores, such as Castorama, which are increasingly willing to locate in retail parks, as well as small businesses well-rooted in local markets.
“Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, many consumers still like traditional shopping, where they can see or try on the goods and, when necessary, seek advice from the seller. Additionally, they can do it comfortably, near their place of residence or on the way to it, without wasting time on unnecessary commuting, park conveniently and buy all the necessary products in a short time. It is therefore not surprising that retail parks enjoy constant and even growing popularity both in smaller towns and in many districts of large agglomerations,” comments Henryk Pichłacz, proxy of PKB Inwest Budowa.
According to market data and developer declarations, by the end of 2023, the volume of retail park space in Poland increased by as much as 356,000 sqm. This means that last year may be a record year for the retail park segment. The next year also promises to be intense for companies operating in this sector.
“In line with our long-term strategy, we plan to deliver around 30,000 sqm to the market every year and develop 4 to 6 new retail parks. In 2024, we will build five facilities with an area of nearly 30,000 sqm. Two of them already have building permits, and we are waiting for the others and immediately after receiving them, we will start work on the construction of the parks,” says Jacek Ostwald.
