From the editor<BR>
Reports, statistics and trends all run into miles of print and are produced at great cost and you can usually read summaries of them in these pages. They are compiled very diligently it's true and for many in the market form an indispensable background to their work. They certainly come in handy for us journalists as well. But out in the real world of shocks and surprises, instinct, not dry data, is often what you need to get by and risks are unavoidable. And that's when predicting the future becomes highly problematic.
It's clear enough now that in the retail sector, we in Poland are about to enter a new era. Hypermarket-anchored shopping centers will increasingly become obsolete, as in other European countries and developers will have to employ all their innovative skills to stay ahead of the competition. How they manage the entertainment side of their projects will be crucial and there are a plethora of notions as to how this might move forward. Perhaps the very distinction between leisure and retail will become increasingly blurred. Blue City, which will start welcoming customers at the end of next month, will contain a section, the like of which has never been tried on this Continent. Auto City, which will gather a number of car dealerships under one roof, could well serve as a sort of play-pen for male adults, while their wives and children engage in perhaps worthier activities elsewhere in the center. The ultimate aim of the new age shopping center is to offer something to everyone, which is a highly hazardous ambition. Failure is always an option when pioneering a new idea and there will always be plenty of people in the shadows waiting to pounce and gloat if you slip up. Statistics count for little here, compared to drive and a little luck.
Lawyers deal with hard evidence, not hunches, but that doesn't mean they can't hold very contrasting views on the way the real estate market in Poland is heading. And these are becoming increasingly diverse as more law firms here take on property work. How stimulating Poland's entry to the EU will be to the market is a very big bone of contention, among the lawyers Lokale spoke to, and one argument is that it needs to take heed of the bustle currently being enjoyed further east in Moscow. A few months ago, many people seemed to imagine that the Polish market would enjoy the brightest of futures, once the calendar changed to May 1st 2004. Now that we are closer to the event, sentiments have become a lot more sober. Improvements might not be noticeable some months or even years down the line, insist some experts. And if markets in the former Soviet Union can potentially draw business away from this region, people here need to be alert to the threat. Poland can ill-afford to be skipped over on the eve of its historic re-entry into the bosom of Europe.
It's clear enough now that in the retail sector, we in Poland are about to enter a new era. Hypermarket-anchored shopping centers will increasingly become obsolete, as in other European countries and developers will have to employ all their innovative skills to stay ahead of the competition. How they manage the entertainment side of their projects will be crucial and there are a plethora of notions as to how this might move forward. Perhaps the very distinction between leisure and retail will become increasingly blurred. Blue City, which will start welcoming customers at the end of next month, will contain a section, the like of which has never been tried on this Continent. Auto City, which will gather a number of car dealerships under one roof, could well serve as a sort of play-pen for male adults, while their wives and children engage in perhaps worthier activities elsewhere in the center. The ultimate aim of the new age shopping center is to offer something to everyone, which is a highly hazardous ambition. Failure is always an option when pioneering a new idea and there will always be plenty of people in the shadows waiting to pounce and gloat if you slip up. Statistics count for little here, compared to drive and a little luck.
Lawyers deal with hard evidence, not hunches, but that doesn't mean they can't hold very contrasting views on the way the real estate market in Poland is heading. And these are becoming increasingly diverse as more law firms here take on property work. How stimulating Poland's entry to the EU will be to the market is a very big bone of contention, among the lawyers Lokale spoke to, and one argument is that it needs to take heed of the bustle currently being enjoyed further east in Moscow. A few months ago, many people seemed to imagine that the Polish market would enjoy the brightest of futures, once the calendar changed to May 1st 2004. Now that we are closer to the event, sentiments have become a lot more sober. Improvements might not be noticeable some months or even years down the line, insist some experts. And if markets in the former Soviet Union can potentially draw business away from this region, people here need to be alert to the threat. Poland can ill-afford to be skipped over on the eve of its historic re-entry into the bosom of Europe.
