Plaza Centers one of the leading developers of shopping and entertainment centers in Central and Eastern Europe has selected Jones Lang LaSalle for commercialization of its most recent project in Lodz. Jones Lang LaSalle experts will provide advisory services and will be responsible for renting the retail space.
The new center will be comprised of approximately 120 shops, supermarket, and an extensive entertainment area a multiplex cinema and amusement and gaming park. The Lodz Plaza project is due to open in 2014.
The Lodz Plaza center will have approx. 42,000 m² of GLA and a car park for 1,000 cars. The project will include approx. 120 stores of Polish and international brands, a supermarket, food court and service area, as well as an extensive leisure element - a characteristic feature of all Plaza Centers' assets. In addition to a 10-screen Cinema City, the residents of Lodz and a wider region will gain access to the Fantasy Park leisure center.
Strategic location
The location of the new center is its significant strength; the site is conveniently situated within the densely developed housing estates in southern Lodz.
"A blend of factors such as a large housing estate, a network of public transport and suburban bus and tram stops in front of the property, the road that links Lodz with the A1 motorway, and importantly, the lack of competitive projects in the immediate neighborhood make Lodz Plaza the first choice not only for residents of southern Lodz, but also for people from the neighboring towns and visitors coming to Lodz from Katowice and Krakow," summarizes Agnieszka Baczyñska, Head of the Lease Department, Plaza Centers Poland.
The Lodz wider metropolitan area, due to its geographical location and equal distance to other Polish agglomerations, is becoming one of the leading logistic centers in the country. The city also looks set to become Poland's key transportation hub going forward.
"Lodz is where the A1 and A2 motorways will cross, which gives boost to a further development of the city. Also, Lodz is one of the largest academic centers countrywide and one of the leading locations for advanced business services," adds Marta Augustyn, Associate Director, Retail Agency, Jones Lang LaSalle.
Unique design
The new retail and leisure project will be developed on the site of the old Fakora factory and will combine characteristic elements of Lodz's old industrial architecture with contemporary design. Plaza Centers will retain the historic parts of the reinforced concrete structure in the old foundry: the chimney, porter's lodge and water tower. These historic elements will become integral parts of the design.
The company has experience in implementing projects involving listed buildings preservation - in Suwalki it opened a center in which the historical Tsarist jail was preserved.
11 Plaza Centers
The Lodz center will be the 11th project implemented by Plaza Centers in Poland. Over the 11 years of its operations in Poland, the investor has designed, built, and commissioned 10 facilities, including centers in Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow, as well as in smaller cities such as Zgorzelec and Suwalki. The developer's latest project was Torun Plaza center which commenced operations last November.
Source: Jones Lang LaSalle
