Neinver launches new polish project

“The tenants selected in our leasing strategy have already confirmed their wish to participate in the project. Having officially presented the construction plan of Futura Park Ursus and its architectural design, we can say with confidence that it has been very enthusiastically received by the market. Our business partners can already see this location’s potential, which means they have looked at the future development of the district and the proximity of the outlet centre,” says Agnieszka Baczyńska, the international leasing director at Neinver.

Futura Park Ursus is to be built in the immediate vicinity of Factory Ursus, one of the most iconic outlet centres in Poland, visited by over 3.5 mln people annually. It is a very popular shopping destination, not only among Warsaw’s residents but also among those from other parts of the Mazovia region.

The project’s 9,000 sqm of retail space will accommodate twelve stores from various sectors including a supermarket, a pharmacy, a sports store and an electronics store. There will also be a restaurant with a unique garden. Neinver started the commercialisation a few weeks ago.

Warsaw’s Ursus district is currently home to 60,000 people

Outlet centre and retail park synergy

The combination of a retail park with an outlet centre is a proven model. Neinver has already created two such retail centres in Poland: in Wrocław and Kraków. Now the time has come for Warsaw. According to Neinver’s research, 30 pct of an outlet centre’s visitors will go on to shop in a nearby retail park, while another set of visitors will come specifically to the retail park to shop, for example, at the grocery store or the electronics store. This means that the new centre is sure to see a lot of interest over the first few days of its operations.

“Customers today expect a comprehensive range of goods and services that will meet their most important shopping needs in one place. And they want this in a good location, with a large car park and an attractively designed centre. Neinver’s project meets these requirements entirely,” says Magdalena Chachulska, Neinver ‘s asset management director in Poland.

The spending power of the locals

Futura Ursus aims to attract residents of the district, by meeting their everyday shopping needs, as well as bargain hunters coming coming specificallly to the outlet centre. Over 3 mln people live in the Warsaw metropolitan area while almost 4 mln potential customers live in the catchment area, within a 90-minute drive, and those who visit outlet centres are prepared to travel such distances.

Another important reason for constructing a retail park in Ursus is how quickly the district is developing. Local residents want a friendly, well organised place with a good range of stores and services. Warsaw’s Ursus district is currently home to 60,000 people, and it is forecasted to grow by another 20,000. Residential developers are launching new projects. The nearby office district, where well-known international companies areheadquartered, is also a draw.

“You need to look at our project in two ways. On the one hand, together with the outlet centre, it will create a shopping destination that combines two different formats with bargain hunting in the outlet centre, and day-to-day shopping in the retail park. On the other, it will also provide a personalised, range of stores for those living in the immediate vicinity,” claims Agnieszka Baczyńska.

Futura Ursus will also have a restaurant with a garden

Winning location

One unquestionable advantage of the Futura Park Ursus project is its location in the capital and within the entire region. The centre will only be a 15-minute drive from the heart of Warsaw. The city’s recently built modern road infrastructure will also provide easy access with the city’s ring road and the A2 motorway.

The project is also to include a multi-storey car park with 400 parking spaces. With the nearby car park of the Factory centre, there will be will be parking spaces for 1,200 vehicles.

The new shopping park will be well-served buses and trains, including the Warsaw SKM and Koleje Mazowieckie railway services. There will also be a bicycle rental point and car sharing facilities to allow vehicles to be hired by the minute. ν

Futura Park Ursus in numbers:

address: plac Czerwca 1976 r. 6, Warsaw (next to Factory Ursus)

opening: 2020

leasable area: 9,000 sqm

stores: 12

catchment: 60,000 residents in the district and 3 mln residents in the Warsaw metropolitan area

parking spaces: 400

access: car, bus and railway, with rental points for bicycles and cars

Bożena Gierszewska –Mroziewicz

country head, Neinver Polska

What was the deciding factor for planning a retail park at the Factory Ursus outlet centre in Warsaw?

It’s a format that has already worked very well in Kraków and Wrocław. Combining an outlet centre and a retail park, we make better use of the location. On the one hand, we provide a comprehensive range of attractive brands at low prices, and on the other we provide the opportunity to do your daily shopping with stores that include a grocery store and a pharmacy. Factory Ursus is a very popular outlet centre and also a popular shopping destination and that is true not only for the residents of Warsaw. We want to develop this space.

Why a retail park and why in Ursus?

Ursus is one of the fastest growing districts of Warsaw. Today, it is inhabited by 60,000 people, and the forecasts speak of another 20,000 in the coming years. This is a location worth investing in. It’s also very well connected. Opening a retail park makes it possible to combine various services in a given place, because it integrates well with the surroundings. There are good reasons why retail parks are experiencing a boom in many cities today.

Bożena Gierszewska –Mroziewicz

Neinver has also built retail parks with outlet centres in Wrocław and Kraków. What is your experience with such projects?

They are very good, which is why we are developing this model in Warsaw. Neinver, being the leader of the outlet segment in Poland and the second-largest operator in Europe, often leads the way for the development of the industry. We are building a retail park near the outlet centre because we know that this solution works. Besides, our competition, seeing the trends we are setting, is trying to create a similar model in their facilities.

So you are expected that there will be a strong synergy between the two centres?

Our research shows that around 30 pct of outlet customers continue with their shopping in a nearby retail park. Therefore, we are providing our project with a constant supply of customers almost from the first days of its operations. Local residents also make up another group of customers and, in the case of Ursus, this represents a really large market.

What groups of customers do you want to attract by creating such a centre?

It will be an everyday shopping venue for the residents of Ursus, as well as a destination for bargain hunters coming to the outlet centre from the farthest corners of Mazovia, or even from neighbouring provinces. Up to 4 mln people live within a 90-minute drive of Factory and Futura Park in Ursus and they will want to go shopping in this centre. Plus there are also tourists, even from other countries, who are visiting Polish outlet centres these days more and more.