First shopping in Posnania

The French company’s project, formerly called Łacina, covers an area of 9 ha off the Rataje roundabout. Its total built-up area amounts to 260,000 sqm. Construction work started in July 2014. Eiffage was the general contractor of the work, which took 26 months. Foncière Euris is Apsys’ financial partner, while financing for the construction was provided by ING, Berlin Hyp and BGK. “Apsys entered Poland in 1996 and straight after viewing this plot Maurice Bansay said that he wanted to build a modern shopping centre here. Posnania is the fruit of 20 years of Apsys’ experience on the retail market and a response to challenges of the 21st century as well as the new expectations of increasingly demanding clients. I believe that Posnania will become a new point of reference not only in the portfolio of Apsys but also for the entire market sector, just like Manufaktura did. The project has certainly cemented our position as a developer and manager of shopping centres and now manages 10 pct of such facilities on the market. In Posnania we have focused on a broad selection of brands, customer comfort, design and technological innovations,” declared Fabrice Bansay, the CEO Apsys Group, at the opening ceremony. The architectural concept of Posnania was drawn up by American studio RTKL, known for such designs as Metropolis in Moscow and Westfield in San Francisco, while the AND Architecture & Design studio was responsible for the interior design work. Apsys also invested app. PLN 100 mln in the modernisation of the road infrastructure around the centre, with Colas being in charge of the work.

300 brands

During the opening Marek Błędowski, member of the board, revealed that Posnania was 98 pct leased – a total of 300 brands over an area of 100,000 sqm, some of which are making a debut on the Poznań market, including Forever 21, Etam and Bierhalle. There are also two large-format stores: Carrefour (with its new concept) and Leroy Merlin, as well as over 200 boutiques – including popular and premium brands and concept stores of Polish designers. The two largest clothing groups in the country, LPP and Inditex, will also be opening outlets of all their brands in Posnania. Reserved, Cropp, House, Home&You, a Tab, Mohito and Sinsay, which belong to LPP, will occupy a total of over 4,500 sqm; while Inditex has leased over 6,000 sqm for its brands: Zara, Zara Home, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Massimo Dutti. The list of tenants also includes H&M, Van Graaf, Mango, C&A, Superdry, Terranova, Medicine, Lee, Wrangler, Orsay, New Yorker, Esprit, Deichmann, Próchnik, Vistula, Bytom, Pierre Cardin, Bartek, Smyk, Coccodrillo, Obaïbi-Okaïdi and a local children’s optician – Optyk Kids. Its sports fashion range consists of two large Intersport and Martes Sport stores as well as Adidas, Puma, New Balance, 7 Store, Sizeer, Snickers, 4F and The North Face. Posnania also includes such Polish brands as Simple, Patrizia Aryton, Tatuum, CCC and Carry. Clothes and accessories can be bought from Łukasz Jemioł, Viola Śpiechowicz, Maciej Sieradzki and Jarosław Ewert with Marta Kuszyńska, Tous, Bizuu, Guess by Marciano, Trussardi, Rolex, Davidoff, US Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Stefanel, Lilou, L’Occitane en Provence and Max & Co. The entire mix is complemented by its 25,000 sqm gla lifestyle range. This includes a new generation Helios multiplex (eight screens), a Grawitacja bowling and pool club, a Fabryka Formy fitness gym including a swimming pool, interactive playgrounds and a range of food and beverage tenants. The ‘Dining Village’ concept has been introduced for the latter, featuring a terrace on the first floor as well as ground-floor cafés, pubs and restaurants (a total of 700 seats). And a total of 3,300 parking spaces are available for motorised customers.

Shopping and art

The French developer emphasises that its latest project is focused on using technology and special services to create a unique shopping experience. A network of 22 screens and kinetic walls run by special software is one example of this approach. In addition to this, with a mobile geo-location app shoppers are able to easily navigate around the centre and its car park, while keeping informed about special events taking place as well as the offers and promotions available in individual shops. The investor claims that Posnania is the first mall on the Poznań market to offer such services as hands-free shopping, click & try and valet parking.