Agata Stańkowska, Sierra Balmain: Achieving 100% commercialization of Galeria nad Jeziorem was a multifaceted and multi-stage process

Sierra Balmain has managed Galeria nad Jeziorem in Konin since 2022, aiming to maximize the center's potential and foster its growth. Accurate market analyses by the manager initiated actions to enhance the center's appeal in the local market.

"Re-commercialization of Galeria nad Jeziorem was necessary to respond to changing market conditions and better align with customer expectations. The project focused on optimizing the tenant mix, expanding the center's offerings by introducing new tenants from various categories, and ultimately increasing the center's attractiveness in the local market. With growing competition, it became crucial to maintain customer loyalty while attracting new, younger audiences. Our goals were to increase footfall, boost sales, and achieve 100% commercialization" - explains Agata Stańkowska, Head of Leasing at Sierra Balmain.

The entire transformation process consisted of several stages, beginning with an analysis of the tenant mix. This allowed the manager to identify gaps in the offerings that needed to be filled to maintain the center's appeal and competitiveness. Customer surveys also played a key role, providing valuable insights into the shopping preferences of local residents.

"A key part of the strategy was reducing the space occupied by the grocery, Carrefour. We saw this as an opportunity to reduce operational costs. Moreover, reducing Carrefour's space opened up the possibility of diversifying the retail offerings and introducing new brands" - notes Agata Stańkowska. She adds "In the next phase, we focused on selecting new tenants, driven by the survey results and customers' expectations for certain brands, as well as the forecasted impact on increasing footfall. As a result of these analyses, we introduced two top brands in their segments to the tenant lineup at Galeria nad Jeziorem: Sinsay, offering fashion for the whole family, accessories, and home decor products, and Pepco, known for its affordable clothing and household accessories."

Further structural changes in the center included combining several smaller units to create space for another popular brand, Deichmann, a leading footwear retailer in Europe. Existing tenants were relocated to available spaces, improving the center's overall layout, functionality, and aesthetics.

"The transformation towards achieving full commercialization of Galeria nad Jeziorem was a multifaceted and multi-stage endeavor. Its implementation was closely monitored to ensure the effectiveness of actions and adaptation to changing market conditions. The introduction of new brands like Sinsay, Pepco, and Deichmann not only diversified the tenant mix but also strengthened the fashion offerings, increasing the center's popularity in the local market. It is also worth highlighting that we successfully managed the availability of local tenants, allowing us to maintain the unique character of the center built over the years. All these efforts contributed to the project's ultimate success, strengthening the center's position in the region" - summarizes Agata Stańkowska.

As a result of the changes, the center not only achieved 100% commercialization. The reduction in Carrefour's space and the introduction of new tenants met customer expectations, leading to increased footfall and higher tenant sales.

The success of the leasing decisions was further demonstrated by the grand opening of the Sinsay brand at Galeria nad Jeziorem. The achieved sales made the Konin Sinsay store one of the best-performing in the chain during its initial days, even outperforming stores in the largest cities in the country.