Galeria Bursztynowa opens in Ostrołęka (PL)

Galeria Bursztynowa, the largest modern shopping center in Ostrołęka and within a 110 km radius, will open on 29 May 2014. Its developer is Narev Inwestycje. The exclusive agent in the commercialization of the scheme is property consultant Cushman & Wakefield. Due to the strong interest in Galeria Bursztynowa the investor already plans its extension.
Galeria Bursztynowa is located in Gorbatowa and Żebrowskiego streets in downtown Ostrołęka, a city with the population of approximately 54,000. It totals around 32,000 m² of usable space, including 27,000 m² of retail space. The full construction design was prepared by the architect Jacek Zub with the Project Management Department of Cushman & Wakefield. The development was financed by Bank BPS and a consortium of cooperative banks.
Roman Tomczak, President of Narev Inwestycje, said: “We’ve completed the largest retail development in Ostrołęka and within a 110 km radius. We are confident that Galeria Bursztynowa will drive our region’s growth further with its broad retail and cultural offer, and new jobs. Galeria Bursztynowa features top-notch solutions to ensure maximum safety, including an innovative laser system for roof deflection monitoring. It also boasts a modern architectural design and an attractive façade of ceramic tiles.”
The opening of Galeria Bursztynowa has been split into two phases. First, OBI opened its store offering DIY and gardening products on 23 May 2014 while the retail gallery and the Tesco hypermarket will welcome their first customers on 29 May.
Roman Tomczak added: “The enormous interest of both customers and tenants in Galeria Bursztynowa on the OBI opening day was beyond our wildest expectations. We are very much looking forward to making the full offer of our shopping centre available to customers. Due to the high footfall and comments we receive from tenants we are considering its extension quite soon to ensure expansion options for the existing and new brands.”
Galeria Bursztynowa is 93% let. Its anchor tenants are Tesco, OBI, RTV EURO AGD, H&M and LPP’s fashion stores (Reserved, Sinsay, Mohito, House and Cropp). Other tenants include Martes Sport and 4F (sports clothing and equipment), CCC and Ray Obuwie (footwear), Big Star, Diverse, Lavard, Taranko, Tatuum, Top Secret and Quiosque (fashion), Rossmann (health and beauty store), Lechpol (electronics), Briju (jewellery), Triumph and Infigo (underwear), and Toy Planet (toys). Galeria Bursztynowa will also house a pharmacy, a Kolporter newsagent store, a bookshop, a cake shop, a drycleaners, a bureau de change, stores of Orange and T-Mobile telecoms and a foodcourt.
Tomasz Górski, a senior negotiator from the Retail Department of Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Galeria Bursztynowa is a regional shopping centre with stores leased by both well-known international retailers and local entrepreneurs. Its occupancy level is high given the current market conditions. There are only a few vacant small stores which could appeal to local businesses. The developer already plans to extend the shopping center before it is even fully opened, which proves that the region has a huge potential and the investor was right in his decision.”
A host of attractions will be held for eight days to celebrate the grand opening of Galeria Bursztynowa, which will open its doors at 10 am on 29 May. Each customer to bring an amber will be given a mug with the center’s logo.
Over the next couple of days customers will be able to take part in competitions organized by tenants or enjoy artistic performances and concerts on the indoor stage. Some tenants will offer, among others, discounts to those who will produce a photograph of themselves taken at a special stand in the shopping center.
The official mascot of Galeria Bursztynowa is the Amber Bear which was selected through a contest. The largest number of attractions for the youngest visitors to the scheme is planned for 1 June, the Children’s Day, including face painting, theatre and magician shows, and meetings with children’s entertainers dressed as fairy tale characters. On 5 June there will be a concert of Piersi and a fireworks display. From its opening day Galeria Bursztynowa will be open between 10 am and 9 pm Monday through Saturday, and between 9 am and 8 pm on Sundays. The Tesco hypermarket will be open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, while the DIY store OBI will be open between 7 am and 9 pm on most days and between 9 am and 8 pm on Sundays.
Source: Cushman & Wakefield