The first snow has fallen and there is already a Christmassy feeling in the air, but as the snow turns into slush, the festive mood is mainly limited to shopping centres, which are evidently gearing themselves up for the December battle for customers and the contents of their purses. So it is little wonder that Eurobuild has set aside so much space to retail developments; we have written about Kraków’s rapidly growing market (p.14), about innovative customer loyalty programmes (p.16), the evolution of retail outlets (p.20) and also the expansion of Polish companies abroad (p.24).I can no longer imagine travelling to the office without using the Warsaw underground, which is why those who are constructing it have my full support. Read about the current stage of work and plans to expand the underground railway system on p.53. We take a close look at the thriving real estate market in the Częstochowa region, where until recently the only important b