The key companies of the shopping centre branch will be present in Warsaw in June

Already on 7-8 June, the fourth edition of the ReDI Fairs will take place in the National Stadium in Warsaw.

The Fairs are the largest event for the commercial property branch managers in the Central and Eastern Europe. In the two days, over 1,400 representatives of the commerce branch, including over 400 representatives of the store chains, will meet in the National Stadium.

The 3^rd edition of the ReDI Fairs gathered over 1400 representatives of the most important companies of the commercial property branch, over 350 representatives of the store and service chains, over 50 exhibitors who presented the portfolios of over 120 shopping centres from Poland and the Central and Eastern Europe.

The fairs are a meeting place for developers and store chains with the representatives of cityhalls presenting the offers of investment lands and letting premises in attractive locations. The ReDI Fairs also include the conference part, panel discussions concerning the role of trade and services in cities, the trends in the development of new sales and catering concepts.

This is what Radosław Knap, General Director of the Polish Council of Shopping Centres said about the fairs:

– What can Ukrainian companies gain by entering Poland?

– Poland’s economic indices have been steady growing so far, including in particular GDP (4%, y-o-y) and Poles’ purchasing power.  The unemployment rate is the lowest since 1989, the inflation rate, which has been dropping until recently, now oscillates around 2%. The minimum wages and the average pay have grown (EUR 476.8 and EUR 1038 (in the first quarter of 2017), respectively). For the Ukrainian companies, the steadily growing market may be attractive.

Moreover, in the last two years, more and more Ukrainian citizens decided to take up job and education in Poland. In accordance with the estimations of the National Bank of Poland, in 2015, nearly one million of Ukrainians came to Poland in search of job opportunities. In 2015, Ukrainian employees earned PLN 8 billion in aggregate, of which PLN 5 billion went back to Ukraine. On the other hand, the Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs stresses that Ukrainians were the largest national group that the Polish employers wanted to hire under the simplified procedure in 2016, with over 1.262 million of applications filed. For Ukrainian companies, this means a chance to get their message across to those who are aware of their offer but could not find it in Poland so far.

– Can Ukrainian store chains stand a chance to find their place on the Polish market?

– Every year, at least several new retail brands emerges in Poland. In 2016, it was as many as 22 such brands. The Polish market and Polish customers are very open to new chains and there are many those interested in developing their business in our country. I think that the ReDI Fairs that will take place in June in the National Stadium in Warsaw will be a good occasion to introduce such companies to Poland. During the ReDI Fairs, which are organized by the Polish Council of Shopping Centres, a record number of nearly thirty new brands, including four Ukrainian brands will be presented.

– What can Ukrainian companies gain by taking part in the Fairs in Warsaw?

– The representatives of the Ukrainian companies have already been participating in our Fairs since the first edition i.e. since 2014. The Fairs provide an opportunity to meet the key companies of the shopping centre branch, which are already active or plan the expansion in our part of Europe. Many of them (including investors, developers, store chains and service providers) also opens to the Eastern markets.

The Fairs are first opportunity to establish contacts and build relations. Investors who seek opportunities for development are still looking with hope at the potential of the Ukrainian market.

– What firms can participants meet?

– The Fairs will be attended by the representatives of international companies, including in particular managers, developers, and investors, e.g. Cushman & Wakefield, Klepierre, IKEA, Metro Properties, Mayland, ECE, ECHO, and more than 200 store chains, including among others the representatives of the Inditex group (the owner of brands such as: Zara, Bershka and Massimo Dutti), H&M, Leroy Merlin, Jula, Hegos, McDonalds, AmRest (the owner of brands: KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and other ones). Also Polish companies will be present there, including in particular store chains which have already opened their stores in Ukraine, including in particular the LPP Group (owners of brands: Reserved, Sinsay, Cropp, and Mohito), CCC, Reporter, Top Secret, etc. In addition, the participants can meet a number of service providers from various branches: the manufacturers of lighting, IT companies, advisory companies, legal offices, etc. The fairs are a good starting point for Ukrainian companies wishing an expansion on the Polish market.

Ukrainian companies that look for investment areas will also be able to meet the representatives of several Polish cities at ReDI. Seven of them: Bydgoszcz, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Kielce, Szczecin, Legnica, Gdynia and Lublin, will have their own stands at the Fairs.

In my opinion, the ReDI Fairs will be a good opportunity for the Ukrainian participants to both win a Polish partner and gain knowledge about the Polish market, if they plan to enter it.

– What else can participants in the ReDI fairs gain, apart from participation in the fairs alone?

– Participant’s package, consisting of a ticket to the fairs, has four basic components. Firstly, it gives access to the fairs zone in the PGE National Stadium in Warsaw. It is a space in which nearly 50 exhibitors will present their projects, including in particular developers, managers, service companies, store chains and Polish cities. Secondly, the participant’s package enables access to an on-line platform in which the registered participants may make arrange meetings whether in the fairs or outside them. The platform allows a fast and simple contact among all registered users. Thirdly, we prepared a few special zones in the Fairs. For two (2) days during the Fairs, panel discussions will be held concerning the market for shopping centres in Poland and in the Region (ReDI to Talk). We will also open a special City Investment Zone, providing an opportunity to become familiar with the offer of investment land on preferred terms made by the local authorities. In addition, the fairs space will also include the Meeting Point, i.e. a zone in which you can meet and talk or simply drink coffee. The fourth components is the ReDI After Party – a networking event in downtown Warsaw for all participants of the Fairs.