Changing places

Investors in all real-estate sectors are now opting for revitalization projects. Not only does it make their schemes more attractive, but it also allows them to take advantage of the attachment local people feel towards historic sites. Traditionally, the life of a town and its populace revolved around key industries or locations, such as factories, steelworks or breweries, and this creates a brand that no amount of marketing can build.

One developer that plans to benefit from such sentiments is Parkridge CE Retail, whose Focus Park shopping centers are being developed in locations that are capitalize on their buildings' past splendor. In Bydgoszcz, the Focus Park will be located on the site of a 19th-century meat plant. In Gliwice the investor will convert a steelworks, whereas its Rybnik and Zielona Góra shopping centers will be developed in an old brewery and Polish wool (Polska Wełna) factory, respectively. In all those buildings, some of the old and original elements will be preserved, such as the brewery chimney in the center of Rybnik.

Apart from refreshing the structures, Parkridge will also modernize and expand the accompanying infrastructure.

Parkridge plans to acquire 10 to 15 new locations suitable for revitalization development. The company will continue to focus its activities in towns of population between 100,000 to 400,000 people.