Positive economic outlook drives ECE's mall plans

The company, a leading trade center developer, is seeking to take advantage of Poland's positive economic situation. Managing director of ECE Polska, Jan Dębski, said that the only problem ECE faces is getting good grounds for building. One week from now the company is set to open the first part of its Kraków Gallery, of area of 60,000 square meters containing 270 shops. At EUR 250 million, this is a significant investment, and one that includes many speciality stores, such as shoe producer German Görtz, that are not known in Poland. Interest in shopping center construction is still growing with development companies claiming that there is a queue of investment funds willing to buy almost every commenced project. ECE says that it is also planning investments on the coast, with construction of a Baltic Gallery in Gdańsk in mind, along with a Kaskada Galley in Szczecin worth  EUR 120 million. (Rzeczpospolita, September 23-24, p. B2) M.M.