Ms. Malcharek, the opening of the IKEA store in Bielsko-Biała is undoubtedly a major event for the entire region. What are your impressions following the launch?

Anna Malcharek: It truly is a significant milestone, both for the city and for our shopping center. During the official opening, the slogan “IKEA brings people together” resonated beautifully. I believe it’s true. Our entire team – from Kraków, Tarnów, and Tychy – attended the event. Together with IKEA representatives, city authorities, the media, and numerous guests, we celebrated the opening of a store that is vital to the local market.

The new IKEA format in Gemini Park Bielsko-Biała is quite unusual. It occupies only 2,000 sq. m., whereas a traditional store for the Swedish brand is typically around 25,000–35,000 sq. m.

It is worth highlighting that Bielsko-Biała, alongside Texas and London, is one of only three places in the world where this brand-new, compact IKEA format has been launched. Furthermore, it is the only such location situated within a shopping center. We are absolute pioneers in this regard.

That sounds truly impressive. How did you manage to convince IKEA to choose Bielsko-Biała?

Our collaboration with IKEA has a long history. We previously hosted an IKEA Planning Studio, which was immensely popular. I believe that success helped our case. We strive to be very transparent with tenants regarding the business opportunities our center offers, supporting our claims with research that characterizes our customer profile. In Bielsko-Biała, we have a strongly family-oriented customer base, which aligns perfectly with IKEA’s needs.

The store is indeed compact, but it doesn’t feel as overwhelming as their standard showrooms.

This format, though smaller, offers nearly 3,000 products available for immediate purchase – representing over 30% of a standard IKEA inventory. Everything else can, of course, be ordered for home delivery or to a parcel locker. Most importantly, residents no longer have to drive over an hour each way to Kraków or Katowice. Now, IKEA is right at their doorstep.

Gemini Park Bielsko-Biała is 99% leased. How did you find space for IKEA in such a full facility?

I won’t deny it was a challenge. Finding 2,000 sq. m. in a nearly fully leased center is difficult, but a certain market trend helped us. We’ve observed that with the rising popularity of discounters, large hypermarket formats are not performing as they once did. Food operators, who used to generate 60–80% of visits, are no longer such massive traffic drivers due to market penetration by discount chains. Consequently, they no longer require such vast areas. Therefore, we preceded our talks with IKEA by negotiating with our tenant, the bi1 hypermarket chain. They fully understood the concept of downsizing their store. The rapid opening of IKEA was made possible by the commitment of all three parties: the owner, Gemini Holding, bi1, and IKEA. We are very grateful to bi1 for their partnership and flexibility.

Using the history of the “Maluch” (Fiat 126p) in the IKEA promotional campaign was an interesting idea.

It was a fantastic local touch. The campaign fit perfectly with both IKEA’s image and our slogan: “closer to the people, closer to the region.” Building the entire launch around the “Maluch” – a car that evokes great nostalgia here – was a conscious step. The “Maluch” motif is a staple in our marketing. Bielsko-Biała and Tychy were home to the first factories producing the Fiat 126p, which remains an icon connecting generations. Actions based on locality are always a priority for us.

So, the key is understanding the local market and customer needs?

Absolutely. We rely heavily on the demographic structure of the region and look for solutions that help us build a strong regional position. We want to stand out. At Gemini Park Bielsko-Biała, we focused on sports, recreation, and utilizing nearby green spaces, alongside entertainment and a robust food court. This social interaction component has paid off significantly, especially post-pandemic. If a center has high footfall, all tenants benefit, and new ones gain the confidence that their business will thrive here.

Which we see in recent examples. IKEA isn’t the only news; the Malaysian chain MR.DIY recently opened here, and Pako Lorente launched its latest concept. Does this show that smaller cities have great potential?

We are very active in the leasing market and have an excellent team. We were able to quickly bring MR.DIY, a new player in the Polish market, into the center. When building our strategy, we look at a five-year horizon. Based on research, we know if our customers are satisfied and what they prefer. A shopping center is never a “finished” product; it must be a living organism that evolves. Tenants understand this, which is why they introduce new formats like Pako Lorente. This proves that cities outside the “Big Eight” have their own identity and potential. The size of the city is secondary to how well the center is managed.

You’ve had an intense period with major openings. What are the plans for the future?

Our plan is to stay close to the market, close to our tenants, and, above all, to respond to our customers’ needs. By evolving for them, we guarantee our centers remain attractive. When that happens, interesting new tenants will naturally follow.

The interview was conducted by Łukasz Izakowski from Omnichannel News.