DTZ released a Polish retail guide presenting statistics of the market in 15 largest cities and agglomerations.
The Warsaw and Katowice agglomerations are the most affluent regions and therefore primary target markets for retailers, according to the analysts. However, the Katowice agglomeration is an emerging market offering potential in the longer term. It is still under-supplied in terms of shopping center provision, but records lower than average purchasing power per one inhabitant which will reduce its growth potential in the short term.
There are 37 shopping centers in operation in the Katowice agglomeration and another 3 in the pipeline including one extension. The total retail floorspace amounts to 1 280 300 sq. meters and the total modern retail stock density in the agglomeration (per one thousand people) is 584, while the average shopping center density for analyzed 15 cities equals 532 sq. meters per thousand inhabitants. 967 300 sq. meters is the total shopping center floorspace and the total shopping center stock density in the agglomeration is 441 (per one thousand people).
Prime shopping rents – the highest rent for the most attractive, 100 sq. meters unit leased by fashion operators, paid in the best, existing shopping centers – range from 45 to 50/sq.m/month. Vacancy rate in shopping centers in January 2014 stood at the level of 2-5%.
The list of largest shopping centers in operation includes: Silesia City Center (84 000 sq. meters, Katowice), M1 Czeladź (59 000, Czeladź), Galeria Katowicka (49 500, Katowice), M1 Zabrze (49 000, Zabrze) and Trzy Stawy (48 000, Katowice).
Warsaw remains the largest, most developed and the strongest market among the analyzed cities where the total retail stock currently exceeds 1,76 million sq. meters. The Katowice agglomeration takes the second place in the ranking (by size).