Gemini Park Tychy – a centre befitting the region

Gemini Holding’s portfolio includes two other malls – Gemini Park Bielsko-Biała, completed in 2009, and Gemini Park Tarnów, completed in 2010. A third mall is being built in Tychy, with a catchment of over 375,000 residents living within a 20-minute drive. The city of Tychy has one of the lowest levels of modern retail space saturation.

“Tychy is one of the six richest cities in Poland, the purchasing power per inhabitant index is over 120 pct, and the unemployment rate is only 3.5 pct. The city and the region demand a varied retail offer, which has not been present in Tychy until now. We lack a modern facility that would offer not only a place to shop, but also a place to spend time with our friends and family,” says Anna Malcharek, the managing director of Gemini Holding.

A survey has been conducted by Gemini Holding to help them adapt the range of services and stores to the needs of their future customers. The respondents from the city of Tychy indicated that for them, in order for a shopping centre to be attractive it needs to be close to their place of residence and it must be easy to get to. In response to these expectations, the location of the mall was chosen carefully. Gemini Park Tychy will be located app. 3.5 km from the centre of Tychy, near several large residential housing estates. Half of the respondents indicated that the shopping centre should be located next to a main road, to ensure that it takes a short time to reach. In order to meet these expectations, Gemini Park Tychy will be situated in the vicinity of key express roads and the A4 highway, with easy access to such cities as Gliwice, Katowice, and Mysłowice. This will ensure that the facility’s catchment will cover over 1.5 million people.

“The city and the region expect a varied retail offer – until recently, the residents of Tychy were forced to travel to do their shopping, to Katowice. After Gemini Park Tychy is opened, this will change. Local residents will no longer have to go to the capital of Silesia to meet their shopping needs. We expect our customers to come not only from Tychy, but also from the neighbouring regions: Bieruń-Lędziny, Pszczyna, Mikołów, and the neighbouring towns, such as Brzeszcze or Chełmek. Another advantage to this investment is the fact that Tesco, OBI and Saturn operate nearby, and Gemini Park will be a natural complement to the already well-known shopping destination, a power centre that encompasses over 60,000 sqm, and after all the plans for the development are completed – up to 100,000 sqm gla,” adds Anna Malcharek.

CBRE is responsible for commercialising the space. When compiling the tenant mix, it paid close attention to the preferences of the residents of Tychy. The 36,000 sqm gla will offer app. 130 stores. One of the tenants in the shopping centre is a Polish supermarket chain – Piotr i Paweł, which offers a particularly high quality range of products. H&M, one of the largest and most popular companies in the clothing segment, will also be among the tenants. Moreover, Gemini Park Tychy’s tenants will include: a Fabryka Formy fitness club, electonic goods retailer RTV Euro AGD, a Jysk home furnishings store, a Rossmann drugstore, sports products brand Martes Sport and a Smyk store with children’s goods. Lease agreements have also been signed by the largest cultural, educational and entertainment retailer on the Polish market – Empik, as well as Świat Książki, Time Trend, Briju, and Kolporter. The foodcourt will feature Olimp, Cafe de Grano, Companieros, Kebab by Olimp and Lodomania.

The services sector will also be extensive, thanks to such companies as: Rainbow Tours, Itaka, Wezyr Holidays, Orange, E-Smoking World, Pralnia Wicher, and many others. Along with the extensive range of retail and services, the customers of Gemini Park Tychy mall will be able to use the facilities one of the many companies offering leisure activities.

In response to the preference of local residents for a shopping centre with a modern character, the building of Gemini Park Tychy will feature an interesting architectural design. It will be dominated by an open area bustling with life, allowing the visitors either to take a rest or spend their time in a more active way. A large number of windows and inlets will ensure a large amount of natural daylight. These features are designed to echo the style of the classic, elegant high street. The project will also meet the requirements of BREEAM certification, which is one of the major distinctions granted in Europe for design, construction, and the capacity of facilities to provide comfort for their users.