An overview of retail space in Silesia

Although the Silesian Voivodeship is the most densely populated part of Poland, this region is still far from reaching the level of retail space saturation per resident seen in Poznań or Wrocław. Let us look at retail space in Silesia and the prospects for its development.

Retail space in Silesia

The average amount of retail space in square metres per 1,000 residents in the Silesian Voivodeship is around 600. For comparison, in the Wrocław agglomeration it is almost 950, in Poznań 900, in the Tri-City 750 and in Warsaw over 600. As these figures show, the voivodeship has the potential for further shopping centres and retail parks to be built. Looking at the whole voivodeship, we can see three main leaders among shopping centres. In the north it is Galeria Jurajska in Częstochowa, in the south Galeria SFERA in Bielsko-Biała, and the jewel in the crown of Silesian retail space, Silesia City Center in Katowice. The year 2018 brought us two new developments. Gemini Park was built in Tychy, and the voivodeship capital gained Galeria Libero. Besides the new large shopping centres with an impact reaching beyond the city in which they are located, we are seeing the growth of small retail parks, which are aimed at small local communities in individual districts or in smaller cities and towns of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Shopping centres today are more than just retail space

For several years we have noticed a trend in the design of new retail space that turns shopping centres into places for customers to meet and be active. Food courts, coworking spaces, a gallery and spaces for children are an important element of every new development. This can be seen in Gemini Park Tychy, for example, and in the planned new shopping centre being built by the IKEA group in Zabrze, which, besides retail space, is to include places for barbecuing, sport and cultural events.

Retail space is returning to city centres

The trend in the location of shopping centres in Silesia has also changed. At the beginning of the 21st century, when the first shopping centres were built, they were located mainly on the outskirts of cities. This was often due to the reluctance of city authorities, who wanted to protect the small shops existing in city centres. Unfortunately the effect was the opposite and moved most of the retail traffic to shopping centres. Thanks to developments such as Galeria Katowicka or Agora in Bytom, city centres have come back to life, drawing footfall and increasing turnover in retail units located nearby as well. Looking at the saturation of the market with retail space and the continued intensive economic development of the region, we can expect a further increase in the amount of retail space in the region. Going by market forecasts, the situation that befell the King Cross shopping centre in Sosnowiec, which was the first in Poland to be closed and demolished, is unlikely to be repeated at other similar centres in Silesia.