The choice of Tenants of retail and service space for mixed-use projects must be approached very individually. Brands and concepts present on the ground floor may have a key impact on the image of the entire investment. Anna Polak, Head of Leasing Master Management Group, talks about how to commercialize the space on the ground floor of Hi Piotrkowska.
Hi Piotrkowska consists of a hotel, offices, retail and services. Each function is governed by different rules. What MMG was guided by, when selecting tenants in the ground floor parts of the complex?
Anna Polak: MMG's portfolio includes over 200,000 sq.m of commercial space, including existing facilities and projects in the development phase. – We are well aware of the importance of the right tenant-mix for the success of a project. Hi Piotrkowska is our first mixed-use project, which is why during the commercialization of the retail and service part of the project we tried to combine the experience from previous projects with an individual approach to this investment. When many functions are combined in one complex, the key determinant is the location, and in the case of Hi Piotrkowska, the location of the facility, the vicinity of the most important street in Łódź and the main transport hub, combined with a large number of potential customers - not only the users of the complex - broadens the range of possibilities. Therefore, the location was the main factor influencing the development of the retail ground floor area of the hotel building and the office tower in the Hi Piotrkowska complex.
In such a case, how to select tenants for retail and service parts in order to meet the expectations of all the users of the complex and at the same time encourage local passers-by to visit Hi Piotrkowska?
The preferences and requirements of building users have been a priority for us. The office part is - at the moment - one of the few A+ class buildings in the city, and the tenant-mix of the ground floor is the added value of the project. In our selection we were guided by the need to meet the daily needs of our employees - that is why we decided to cooperate with Żabka chain, Hebe drugstore or Just Gym fitness club, which will occupy over 1.7 thousand. sqm. of space on the upper floors of the facility with communication of the entrance from the ground floor of the shopping arcade. We have opted for well-known and popular brands, which can also attract local residents.
Well-known brands create a tenant-mix of the ground floor of the office dominant, and how did you select the tenants for the hotel building?
In this case, the exposure from the side of Piotrkowska Street was the key one. The most famous street of the city, which in large part is a promenade and a short distance from OFF Piotrkowska imposed a kind of role that will be played in the future by the ground floor of Hi Piotrkowska. This is where gastronomy will reign. Among the tenants there will be: Starbucks, who will open a store with a garden, and a local company - Z pieca rodem. We are still looking for the tenant of the well- exposed corner space, who - in our assumption - will be a "gem" of Hi Piotrkowska.
What brand can become such a "gem"? Original or popular concept?
A popular brand, far from fast-food and meet the latest gastronomic trends, has a greater chance of success in terms of business. The latest statistics show that 70% of people prefer to choose a restaurant with healthy options on the menu.
Breakfast begins to play an important role, vegan and vegetarian and local cuisine is still a trend and is a promising niche for restaurants.
We are in talks with many companies, but the topic of this space is still open. We hope that (by the end of July this year) the part of the ground floor will be filled with a set of tenants.
Thank you for the interview
