Acteeum and Equilis – the joint retail happy story continues!

Both of these projects have resulted in the creation of extraordinary centres in Chełm and Andrychów, not only providing residents with an attractive shopping mix in modern and friendly buildings that also represent places that meet the lifestyle aspirations of local communities. Their optimistic view of the retail market and the excellent cooperation between both investors mean that their joint, happy investment history continues and is gaining momentum!

Acteeum and Equilis – the perfect match

The joint investment journey of Equilis and Acteeum began in 2018 and has been gaining momentum each subsequent year. The companies started their cooperation with the development of Galeria Chełm, the first modern shopping centre in Chełm and its region. It was then that Equilis, one of the largest Belgian commercial and residential developers, started operating in Poland by joining forces with the Acteeum Group.

“The choice of a retail project as our first investment in Poland was obvious to us. Equilis has a retail background Our decision to start operating in Poland was due to the country’s economic stability, which has contributed to the healthy state of the real estate market. Our presence in the shopping sector was prompted by the characteristics of the Polish market, which stands out in terms of development potential compared to other countries where Equilis operates. Among these factors, we can see growing consumption, stimulated by wage growth and a constant demand for high-quality, friendly shopping centres, as well as the potential of the locations that were available. In Chełm, we wanted to open the kind of shopping centre that has never been seen in this city before,” explains Monika Woźniak-Zawioła, Equilis’ head of retail.

The success of Galeria Chełm and the further cooperation of both investors is also based on their vast experience and knowledge of the realities of the Polish retail market, which is one of the main strengths of Acteeum Group. In previous years, Acteeum has participated in the construction of seven shopping centres with a total leasable area of 250,000 sqm, including: Vivo! Stalowa Wola and Vivo! Krosno (in cooperation with Immofinanz), Galeria Wołomin and Galeria Tomaszów (together with NEPI Rockcastle), Galeria Solna in Inowrocław (realised with Libra Project and sold to EPP in 2017), as well as the expansion of the Ogrody in Elbląg and Sarni Stok in Bielsko-Biała (together with CBRE Global Investors).

Galeria Chełm is another project developed by Acteeum as a joint-venture with a large institutional or private investor. “This time, we have combined our competences in the shopping centre sector in Poland with the international experience of Equilis. Our joint projects turned out to be a great development and commercial success from the very beginning. We develop them according to the planned schedules, and their full commercialisation long before their opening confirms our belief that we are able to meet the expectations and growth strategies of our tenants perfectly,” says Tomasz Szewczyk, the managing partner of Acteeum Central Europe.

The unquestionable success of the Chełm project, despite the difficulties associated with the pandemic, as well as the extremely favourable combination of the strengths of both investors, meant that their next joint venture was only a matter of time. The cooperation of Acteeum and Equilis strengthened during the construction of this retail facility – Galeria Andrychów. This project, developed as a retail park, is now just about to be completed.

Galeria Chełm is just the beginning

The cooperation started by Acteeum and Equilis on the Galeria Chełm project turned out to be a huge success in every respect. It also generated an extremely positive response from the market, both in terms of investments, tenants and the local community. The partners involved in the project – investors, contractors, financial institutions and others – have noted the effectiveness and positive energy of this cooperation, which ensured the efficient construction and commercialisation of Galeria Chełm.

The excellent atmosphere around the Chełm project and the remaining development potential, especially in medium-sized cities and in the retail park format, have resulted in another joint project by Acteeum and Equilis. Both companies joined forces for their second retail venture, this time located in Andrychów in southern Poland. This latest project, Galeria Andrychów, is now close to completion.

The investors’ choice for the location of another joint undertaking was Andrychów, where a new regional retail park with an area of 24,000 sqm is being constructed. Preparations for the launch of the Andrychów facility are already nearing the end, and the grand opening of Galeria Andrychów is planned for the November of 2021.

The remarkable features of the Andrychów shopping centre, including its ʻPower Center’ format as well as the reputation of both investors, resulted in the interest of tenants and the local community in the project exceeding all expectations. Long before the scheduled opening, the commercialisation of the shopping centre was completed, providing customers with an extremely attractive range of brands within a friendly, functional and well-accessible retail facility.

“Since the outset, we were excited to join forces with Acteeum again on our next project. After our great experience developing the Chełm centre, it was obvious that we would have the appetite for more. Our advantages in developing retail facilities perfectly complement each other, representing the essence of international experience, knowledge of the Polish market, competence and creative enthusiasm, guaranteeing the success of our projects. Now that Galeria Andrychów is almost ready, we can see that this project is another happy story, adding new quality to the retail market in Poland,” says Monika Woźniak-Zawioła.

The range of shopping offered by Galeria Andrychów will include various fashion, interior design, sports, consumer electronics, media and drugstore brands. A wide range of services will also be available, ensuring that all the needs of customers are met. Galeria Andrychów will enrich the neighbourhood not only with its shopping mix, but also with its modern, well-designed architecture, easy accessibility and the improvement of the infrastructure in the local area.

“Our cooperation with Equilis on Galeria Chełm was a pure pleasure. Therefore, it was natural that we jointly took on another ambitious challenge – the regional Power Center in Andrychów. In addition to all the typical features of a successful shopping centre, our Andrychów project ensures – from the earliest stages of development – that it will play an important social role on the local market. We want our project in Andrychów not only to be a convenient and attractive place for shopping, but also to comprehensively meet the expectations and lifestyle aspirations of local residents. From its opening day, we want Galeria Andrychów to become a place that provides a wide range of options for spending free time and with which locals will identify,” explains Tomasz Szewczyk.

Galeria Andrychów is being constructed according to the Power Center format. It will be a modern and functional commercial facility with an area of app. 24,000 sqm. It will offer a full range of shops and services as well as a large DIY store and 680 parking spaces, ensuring convenient access from the city and the region. The centre will also feature a drive-thru restaurant and a petrol station. The unique potential of the Andrychów retail park is also due to its location on the only plot in the city and region of this size designated for large-scale shopping centres.

The happy story continues!

Through constantly monitoring the changes taking place in the retail market, their excellent understanding of the specificity of medium-sized cities and their extensive experience of gained from their joint projects in Chełm and Andrychów, partners Acteeum and Equilis are able to adapt perfectly to the market’s expectations. And it increasingly expects shopping facilities with the features of retail parks. What attracts both tenants and customers to retail parks is an affordable, diverse shopping on offer, in easily accessible and well-connected locations, close to where the consumers live. An additional and considerable incentive for tenants of retail parks are their attractive lease terms, including rent levels and service charges much lower than those in traditional shopping centres.

Therefore, despite Covid-19’s impact on the market, Equilis and Acteeum remain optimistic about the Polish retail market, especially when it comes to their retail park and Power Center formats. With their rich experience, close focus on the evolving expectations of customers and tenants, and appreciation of the huge retail potential of smaller and medium-sized cities, both partners are already planning further projects, raising their excellent cooperation to an even higher level.

More information about the joint projects of Equilis and Acteeum

Galeria Andrychów

Galeria Andrychów is the largest modern and multifunctional retail facility in Andrychów in the Power Center format, with a total of 24,000 sqm gla. The plot on which the new retail park is being constructed is located at the intersection of ul. Krakowska, ul. Biała Droga and ul. Przemysłowa with direct access to a national road and close to the planned Bielsko-Biała – Głogoczów bypass. Galeria Andrychów will offer 38 retail premises and 680 parking spaces. Among the brands whose stores will be available in Andrychów’s Power Center are such well-known and popular chains as Leroy Merlin and Lidl, CCC, SMYK, Rossmann, Media Expert, Martes Sport, Jysk, KiK, Sinsay, House, Cropp, Deichmann, Divers, Pepco, Dealz, Hebe and Komfort as well as attractive local stores. Currently, the finishing work is in its final stage, with the opening of Galeria Andrychów scheduled for November 2021.

Galeria Chełm

Opened in March 2020, Galeria Chełm has an area of 17,500 sqm with 55 retail and service premises and over 550 parking spaces. The plot on which the new shopping centre has been constructed is located at the junction of ul. Lubelska and ul. Rejowiecka, which also forms part of the Chełm bypass and is the main communication hub of the city. The centre’s catchment area contains almost 300,000 residents as well as cross-border traffic with Ukraine and Belarus. Galeria Chełm has been awarded a BREEAM Final Stage certificate at the ʻVery Good’ level.

More information about the investors

EQUILIS, established by Carl Mestdagh in 2006, specialises in all aspects of real estate development. It has since diversified its activities and expanded its portfolio to cover the European market. Equilis has offices in Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Germany.

The firm develops and completes demanding projects in a broad spectrum – from commercial and residential real estate to offices, brownfield recovery, senior citizen and student housing, recreational facilities, parking spaces as well as cultural and public space. Altogether, Equilis has built 314,651 sqm and 1,542 residential units. Currently, another 137,144 sqm and 3,344 residential units are under development.

More information about Equilis and its projects can be found at: www.equilis.net

Acteeum Group is a privately owned international company operating on the commercial and residential real estate market in Poland, undertaking the entire development process, starting from selecting suitable development plots through the design, construction, commercialisation and management stages up to the sale of the facilities.

Acteeum’s approach to projects is based on its extensive experience and knowledge of the Polish market and the development process. The company is a business partner of large institutional companies, including CBRE Global Investors, Immofinanz, NEPI Rockcastle, BPI, Equilis as well as private investors. Acteeum focuses on the development of large-scale retail facilities and residential projects.

Acteeum’s projects in recent years amount to app. 270,000 sqm gla of commercial properties, including over 800 stores and retail premises, as well as more than 700 apartments totalling ​​over 40,000 sqm of usable residential space. Acteeum also manages a land portfolio and is negotiating the purchase of further plots for the construction of shopping centres, retail parks, residential developments as well as mixed-use schemes.

Further information about Acteeum and its projects can be found at: www.acteeum.pl