Opening the communication lines

<>Why have we decided to tackle the public relations issue? The answer is quite simple - it seems to us that developers often don't realize how useful a well-planned and professional external (and of course internal) communication policy can be. PR on a regular basis will help sales, but not only. Using specialists to enhance the company's image among the public could be a very effective tool when talking to bureaucrats from the local authorities or pseudo-environmental organisations (vide the Złote Tarasy case). And last but not least, well-established, effective communication channels can be a vital tool in an emergency, when dark clouds gather overhead. Who should provide the PR service? The choice is either to set up an in-house team or to hire a PR agency. Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. You will read about them in the interview with Piotr Czarnowski, the honorary president of the Polish Public Relations Association on p. 10. Discount chains seem to be conquering the Western European markets and the same is also happening in Poland. These low-budget stores appear to be springing up like mushrooms after the rain, as we say in Polish. And people like them, even if they seem reminiscent of the markets from the crisis period of the 1980's. What are the discounters' plans for the future and their policies towards real estate? Read "Shopping in cheapside" on p. 20. You should forgive us for the smaller edition that we have prepared. Summer time is always rather relaxed for the industry, and so it is for us too.