Time Out Market Budapest is set to open in 2025 at Corvin Palace at Blaha Lujza Square. The historic department store first opened in 1926 and has recently been renovated back to its original neoclassical state and redeveloped as a mixed-use real estate property offering retail, leisure and a hotel, timeout.com reports.

Cushman & Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market. The opening of 2024 is encouraging and new retail space supply in the coming months is likely to match or even surpass last year’s total. The Polish market continues to attract interest from new brands, borne out by several debuts. More arrivals are expected to follow amid improving retail sales, rising shopping centre footfall and turnover levels as inflation is weakening.

More than 60% of Polish consumers do their larger grocery shopping in excess of PLN 100 in discount stores. A similar proportion of people in Poland opt for shopping centres on account of their entertainment offer, while nearly 40% go to retail parks which they value for familiarity with space layouts - a guarantee of a quick and easy shopping trip. According to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield, Polish people have clearly defined expectations about each retail format, with each likely to respond to different shopping and other needs.

EPP and Echo Investment have secured a loan of €145.2 million for the new financing of the Galeria Młociny shopping centre located in Warsaw. Erste Bank Group AG (Austria), Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited (Republic of South Africa) and Santander Bank Polska (Poland) acted as arrangers of the new credit facility, with Santander Bank Polska also acting as Facility Agent, Security Agent and Account Bank.

Sierra Balmain is expanding its portfolio with another shopping mall. Starting in April, the company will take over property management of Galeria Pomorska in Bydgoszcz. The group will handle all the ongoing operations of the facility.

Hungarian real estate developer and investor Indotek Group has closed the purchase of a downtown shopping centre in Budapest, online business site Portfolio reports, citing Cushman & Wakefield, the main assistant of the deal.

By 2024, the REALIA fund has stepped in with a new acquisition, this time the Hustopeče retail park in South Moravia. The retail park is fully leased with an average length of leases exceeding 6 years.

The Máj department store, whose reconstruction has been running since July 2022, is planning its reopening to the public in June 2024, reports E15.cz.

LCP Properties has officially opened its 48th retail park under the M Park brand in Poland, which is also the fifth in the Pomeranian region. M Park Reda has a total of 4,433 sqm of GLA space with 13 tenants. Development works began in mid-May 2023, and the general contractor of the project was STB Budownictwo.

UAE-based property developer Eagle Hills plans to build a completely new city centre in Budapest. Plans contain several highrise offices, residential and retail units, including the tallest tower in Europe.