Multi Poland has opened the Forum Gdańsk mixed-use project close to the main railway station in Gdańsk.
The opening, which had been postponed by ten days, finally took place on May 26th. The centre has 62,000 sq m GLA of retail, a Helios multiplex, leisure facilities, restaurants and 1,100 parking spaces.
Forum Gdańsk also includes a boutique hotel and the Gdańsk Heritage Centre. The total investment, including the road infrastructure development, came to around €194m.
“We are proud to be opening the Forum Gdańsk centre, one of Multi’s most challenging projects since its foundation in 1982. It provides a modern urban shopping destination for the 1.3 mln residents in its immediate catchment area, plus the 2.5 million tourists that visit Gdańsk every year,’’ said Josip Kardun, the CEO of Multi Corporation.
Forum Gdańsk was designed to revitalise the historic Targ Sienny i Rakowy market sites. It combines retail and public space with modern infrastructure. Multi added a new street running underground between the train tracks and the centre, as well as pedestrian walkways along the Radunia Canal and the Old Town centre. The centre has also become a transport hub for buses, trams, trains and cars and has bike and pedestrian paths as well as a public square.
An important part of the project is the revitalisation of the banks of the Radunia Canal, which now includes a glass roof. Forum Gdańsk has over two hectares of green areas, which have over 33,000 plantings with 80 species, creating an ecosystem in the city centre that is intended to attract butterflies and songbirds. The Gdańsk Heritage Centre was also created in the development and includes a multimedia room, an exhibition hall, a theatre hall, a café, the City Culture Institute and the Gdańsk Cultural Information office.
“We had long been looking for a developer that would take on the task of creating a public space under such demanding conditions, right in the centre of the city. Today, Gdansk’s residents will not only have a shopping centre but also a new space in the city centre,’’ saidPaweł Adamowicz, the mayor of Gdańsk.
The concept is by Multi subsidiary TTDesign and Sud Architectes was responsible for the detailed architectural design. The infrastructure was by BPBK of Gdańsk and Studio Architektoniczne Kwadrat of Gdynia was selected in a public competition to design the Heritage Centre. The centre was developed as a PPP project through the collaboration of Multi, the city of Gdańsk and PKP Polish Railways. Multi is responsible for the centre management.
RPA Perspective Separately, earlier this month Neinver opened Prague The Style Outlets, its first outlet centre in the Czech Republic and the 16th centre in the company’s expanding portfolio, which totals 300,000 sq m of gross leasable area (GLA). The centre features over 100 stores in 20,000 sq m of GLA.
The new centre is part of a joint venture between NEINVER and The Prague Outlet signed in 2016 to create the largest outlet centre in the Czech Republic, with a total investment of €70 million. A second phase will increase the total commercial space to 30,000 sq m in the coming years. The outlet centre will bring over 600 jobs and considerable tourist spending to the local economy.
With close to 20,000 sq m of GLA, the centre is located near Prague’s international airport and city centre.
Prague The Style Outlets opens for business with international retail brands such as Adidas, Benetton, Bogner, Frankie Morello, Gattinoni, Geox, Hispanitas, IXOX, Karl Lagerfeld, Lacoste, Marina Militare, Massimo Rebecchi, Nike, Palmers, Pepe Jeans, Trussardi, and Versace Jeans. Also, popular toys store Hamleys opens its first European outlet store at the centre. Around 20% of the brands are Czech and some retailers have chosen Prague The Style Outlets for their initial entry into the Czech market.
The fashion line-up is complemented by a food offer that features retailers such as La Pasteria, Salanda and Flo café.
According to Daniel Losantos, CEO of NEINVER, “This centre marks a major milestone in our expansion plan in Europe, adding one more centre to our current portfolio of 15 outlet centres. We are delighted to see Prague The Style Outlets open its doors after we’ve worked closely for more than two years with our partner The Prague Outlet.”
