Young age rules
New shopping centre
Aneta Cichla, ‘Eurobuild Central & Eastern Europe’: Gemini Park Tychy is a young centre – how is it coping on the market? Which elements of the product range are particularly popular?
Tomasz Misztalewski, director of Gemini Park Tychy: Gemini Park had a very strong debut. The centre had a footfall of more than half a million customers a month after its opening. After five months we already exceeded two million, which is a great success considering that we primarily operate on the local market. We also see a clear upward trend from one month to another. There are more and more customers but the percentage of people who choose to go shopping regularly, more often than once a month, also increases. While observing the licence plates we can see that our catchment area has been growing. Residents of neighbouring towns account for almost 50 pct customers. As far as the product range is concerned, the strongest debuts have been recorded in our fashion brands, mainly the popular chains owned by the LPP group, but also TK Maxx, H&M, New Yorker, Deichmann and CCC as well as jewellery stores. Fashion is an element that particularly attracts customers today. Interior decoration, shoes and accessories, pharmacies as well as gastronomy were also welcomed. The solutions that provide customers with an opportunity to meet, relax and entertain are also very popular. This was achieved as a result of introducing the most modern food court in the region, free Wi-Fi as well as 11 relaxation zones.
What problems does a building that is just starting on the market have to face?
There are several challenges that new centres debuting on the market, including ours, have to face. The most serious one is the ban on Sunday trading, which in our case involves the closure of the building on these days, at least until the opening of a cinema and the expansion of the entertainment offer. On the other hand, we can see that non-trade Sundays did not thwart our plans for a successful debut, and the customer traffic in Tychy spread out on business days. The development of technologies, including technologies related to omnichannel, is also a major challenge. In Tychy we constantly follow trends related to this phenomenon. We also examine systems that we could introduce in the future, thus including tenants in the digital marketing activities of the centre.
How does Gemini Park Tychy position itself on the market and build its brand?
The marketing strategy of the centre is based on two slogans: ‘family’ and ‘commitment’. We are a family-oriented shopping centre and this is how we are currently positioning ourselves on the market. We want to show openness to every customer regardless of their age. We are supported by numerous marketing activities which strengthen the position that is being built. We are strongly focused on the young ones, organizing educational and gaming events, exhibitions as well as day camps during the holidays. With the young ones in mind we have also created the brand heroes – the Gemiński family, which is a focus point of numerous events. We also do not forget about the adult customer, whom we address e.g. sales promotion and discount campaigns to.
Do you plan to extend the building?
In 2019 we plan to expand the centre and add 6,600 sqm of leasable area. The space will comprise a modern cinema, an entertainment zone and new restaurants, among others. We are also considering a playroom. The planned expansion is to be completed in 2020.
