Urban malls lure Warsaw's shoppers to the suburbs
Traditional high streets such as Chmielna and Nowy Swiat are no longer the hot shopping spots for Warsaw's young professionals, according to a recent survey conducted by Lokale Immobilia.
When asked about their favorite places to shop, several Varsovians said they preferred suburban shopping malls such as Galeria Mokotow, Klif, Reduta and Carrefour in Praga's Targowek district to downtown stores.
Pawel Rytka, 28, a graphic designer and desktop publishing operator with the BBDO advertising agency, is not a frequent shopper, he said. Until recently, though, he shopped at the bazaar on Plac Defiliad next to the Palace of Culture and Science. Before they were partially removed earlier this year, the outdoor stalls were far cheaper than anything else in the capital, he said. "Those were the days when cash counted (for me)," Rytka said. But as Rytka's financial situation improves and more malls pop up around the city, he now shops more often in malls, usually at the Klif center on ulica Okopowa and Galeria Mokotow on ulica Woloska.
Rytka, who said he spends about zl. 800 every three months on clothes, prefers malls because "(In a mall) you don't have to walk around in the rain." He added that malls are open longer and are cheaper than stores on Nowy Swiat and Chmielna.
Agnieszka Starzynska, 23, a French teacher, said she shops for clothes at least once a week and that the recently opened Galeria Mokotow is her favorite shopping destination.
"I have all I want in one place," she said. Starzynska said that she usually spends two hours strolling around the mall, browsing through clothing stores such as KappAhl and Cubus.
Starzynska said that she doesn't like shopping downtown because the stores are too expensive and she can usually buy the same goods in malls for less money anyway. When she's looking to buy more upscale products, she prefers to travel to cities such as Paris where she has spent time shopping in the past. "There I could buy everything," she said.
Dagmara Iwanczuk, 27, the director of distribution at French TV broadcaster Canal+, said she also used to shop downtown but the malls' arrival has changed all that. "I was tired of (shopping) on Chmielna," she said, adding that Poland's unpredictable weather doesn't make shopping in the center pleasant. Iwanczuk said that Warsaw's new shopping centers are ideal for those "who want to make a quick purchase."
Iwanczuk said she shops in malls at least once a month. "I pop down to the mall, go to my stores, have a coffee, and leave," she said.
Monika Filipowicz, 26, account manager at the Ad Fabrika advertising agency, said her favorite places to shop are Galeria Mokotow and the Reduta shopping center on Aleje Jerozolimskie. In these malls, she said, she can find everything she needs. Filipowicz is also a fan of mall restaurants. "I love Greek food and there's a Greek place at the Galeria," she said.
Ireneusz Momot, 29, director of the board office at T.O.N. Agro real estate company, said his favorite place to shop is the Carrefour shopping center. Since Galeria Mokotow opened in September, however, he now finds himself going there more often. Momot, who spends about zl. 600-zl. 700 a month on clothes, said he rarely shops downtown anymore. A few years ago, he shopped at Domy Towarowe Centrum (now Galeria Centrum). "You could always come across something interesting there," he said. Momot said that the Chmielna area has become "a relic of the past" and is losing out to competition from suburban malls. "They (city authorities) are trying, but the quality (of stores downtown) remains questionable."
Anna Muldner, 24, an assistant to the board of directors at a German energy firm, said her favorite place to shop is the Klif center because it's close to downtown and has reasonably priced goods. "When I have money I like shopping with my boyfriend or my best friend," she said. Muldner, who rarely spends more than zl. 300 a month at Klif, said she doesn't think Warsaw is a good city for shopping and therefore tries to shop as much as she can whenever she's away. "I (liked to) shop in Germany and in Wroclaw," she said.
Bartlomiej Krakowski, 26, an IT and telecom director at Teoma, an air conditioning company, said he never shopped until recently. "Usually I left (the shopping) to my girlfriend or the family," he said. New shopping malls, such as Reduta and Galeria Mokotow, have managed to lure him in enough to drop zl. 500-zl. 600 a month. Even so, the malls haven't transformed Krakowski into an enthusiastic shopper. "Once a month is enough," he said. o
