The case from Gdańsk is not isolated. According to the industry portal Dla Handlu, older shopping malls across Poland are losing their importance and are increasingly being earmarked for reconstruction or demolition. Both market conditions and consumer lifestyles have changed.
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From a symbol of modernity to a problematic property. A short history of the Gdańsk Alfa Centrum
Alfa Centrum at Kołobrzeska Street has been operating since 2002 and for two decades it has been one of the most important retail outlets in the Przymorze region. However, in the meantime, new, larger and more modern facilities have appeared, and e-commerce has taken over a significant part of the market.
The property was purchased by Euro Styl from the Dom Development Group. The plan assumes a complete change in the function of the area – residential development will play the dominant role.
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On the premises of a former gallery approximately 700 apartments are to be built, supplemented with service premises and public spaces.
Not only Alfa Centrum. These shopping centers will also disappear from Polish cities
The history of Alfa Centrum fits into a broader trend. In recent years, other well-known facilities have been closed or transformed: Arkady Wrocławskie, Galeria Malta in Poznań, Klif Fashion House in Warsaw and former Tesco hypermarkets. In most cases, retail gives way to housing.
This is the result not only of economic calculations, but also of the growing demand for premises in well-connected parts of cities. Former shopping malls are increasingly considered to be too valuable land to be used solely for trade.
E-commerce is the main problem for shopping malls
According to JLL's analyses, cited by Dla Handlu, The main reason for the decline in the importance of medium-sized shopping malls is the dynamic development of online shopping. For many customers, shopping centers are no longer the first choice. If anything, they choose the largest complexes that offer not only shops, but also entertainment and gastronomy.
Facilities such as Alfa Centrum find themselves in a trap: they are too large to function as local service points, and at the same time too small to compete with commercial giants. Additionally, they operate in markets saturated with retail space – in the vicinity of the Gdańsk shopping mall there are several large centers that were built later and offer more modern spaces.
