Gemini Park celebrates tenth anniversary
Retail & leisureAfter a decade of development, changes and investments, centre no longer resembles the building it was on its opening date. The 42,500 sqm mall has a footfall of 5.3 mln visitors a year and includes over 120 stores. “On its opening day the shopping centre was less than half its current size – it had 27,500 sqm and 80 stores. There was no such amusement park in Bielsko-Biała , no large-scale food court nor was there such a wide mix of tenants as there is today,” recalls Krzysztof Brączek, the director of Gemini Park Bielsko-Biała. “The investor had designed a large modern shopping centre with a compact range of tenants to satisfy the most immediate daily shopping needs of the local people,” he says. “We felt that we needed to make changes, to take another development step that would not only reassure the customer in their choice of our shopping centre but also strengthen our product range in the town and throughout the region. This was all the more so because retail trade in Bielsko itself had developed and our customers now had new needs, especially in regard to the shopping centre as a place to meet friends and as a place for entertainment,” he adds.
The decision was taken to extend the centre by 15,000 sqm. The construction work started in 2012 and took 18 months. A total of 40 new stores and service outlets were added and the tenant mix was extended by RTV Euro AGD, BeFit, Smyk, Toys ‘R’ Us, Empik and Sinsay. Many of the stores that were already in the centre also had the opportunity to expand. In 2014, Gemini Park started the work on the green areas next to the centre on the banks of the river Biała. A few months later the Radość park opened, which also included a tube slide, a volleyball court and inflatables. Two years later, ‘Radość’ was transformed into the ‘W deche!’ eco-amusement park, with a number of new rides over an area of 0.45 ha. More attractions were added in 2017 and in 2018 the park was extended again by a further 0.6 ha and a rope course adventure park. Recently a trampoline park has also been opened. Meanwhile Gemini Park has also invested in electric vehicle charging stations a rest area a modern mother and child rooms and LED lighting. Work on the food court is to start this year, with the 1,300 sqm area to also include a coworking area and a relaxation zone.
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