The cornerstone ceremony for Galeria Chełm, the first shopping centre in the town of Chełm, was held on Friday, 22 March 2019. Held near the intersection of Lubelska street and Rejowiecka street, the ceremony was attended by representatives of the local government, the project investors Acteeum Group and Equilis Europe SA, prospective tenants as well as other companies involved in the development.
The symbolic foundation act for Galeria Chełm was signed by Jakub Banaszek, Mayor of Chełm; Monika Woźniak-Zawioła, CEO Equilis Poland; Tomasz Szewczyk and Henrik Stig Moeller, Managing Partners at Acteeum Group, and Joanna Makowiecka-Gaca, CEO Karmar S.A., the General Contractor of the project.
“The laying of the cornerstone is a special moment on any construction site. Galeria Chełm will now take more and more shape every day and will be ready to welcome first customers in a year. We firmly believe that we will create an attractive shopping and leisure destination for residents of Chełm and the entire region as well as customers from the neighbouring countries of Ukraine and Belarus,” said Monika Woźniak-Zawioła, CEO Equilis Poland.
Construction works on Galeria Chełm went into high gear about a month ago. The opening of the approximately €30 million shopping centre is scheduled for Q1 2020. The joint venture by Acteeum Group and Equilis will offer 55 retail outlets over a total area of 17,500 sq m. The project will involve the reconstruction of an over 1-kilometre section of Lubelska street, with a safe bicycle path to be built along. A car park for more than 500 cars will be created right next to the shopping centre.
“We would like to thank the authorities of Chełm for a professional partnership that enabled us to go ahead with the construction. Our shopping centre will become an important amenity for the local community, making shopping easier without the need to travel to other cities. Our development has already earned trust from popular Polish and international brands, with the occupancy rate at Galeria Chełm reaching nearly 80% one year before the opening,” added Tomasz Szewczyk, Managing Partner at Acteeum Group.
Galeria Chełm will be home to a range of shops, including Lidl, CCC, SMYK, Rossmann, RTV Euro AGD, Martes Sport, Reserved, Sinsay, House, Cropp, Home&You, Diverse, Pepco, Esotiq, Swiss, Ziaja, Play as well as a Świat Książki bookshop. The customers will enjoy restaurants such as Olimp and Deli Pizza in addition to a range of services, including an exchange office and a green dry cleaner.
The architecture of Galeria Chełm was designed by NCA Architekci. It is being constructed in line with green building principles, applying for the “Very Good” rating against the BREEAM certification scheme.
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Information about Equilis
Equilis is a real estate development company founded in 2006 by Carl Mestdagh with the assumption of operating on the Belgian real estate market. Currently, Equilis implements and supports ambitious commercial, residential, office and revitalization projects, senior homes, dormitories as well as entertainment, cultural and public undertakings. Equilis has so far completed commercial projects with a total area of 250,000 sqm. and 757 residential premises, and under construction or preparation has another 230,000 sqm. space for rent and 2,832 apartments.
Equilis activity of in Europe is diversified in terms of sector and geography, covering all aspects of the investment process. Currently, the company has branches in Belgium, France, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Poland. In 2019, it also plans to debut on other markets. www.equilis.net
Information about Acteeum
Acteeum Group is a privately owned international company operating on the commercial and residential real estate market in Poland, undertaking the entire development process, starting from selecting suitable plots for development through the stage of design, construction, commercialization, management and sale of facilities.
The Acteeum approach to projects is based on extensive experience and knowledge of the polish market and the development process. The company is a business partner of large institutional companies, including CBRE Global Investors, Immofinanz, NepiRockcastle, BPI, Equilis as well as private investors. Acteeum focuses on the development of large scale retail facilities and residential projects.
Acteeum manages a land portfolio and negotiates the purchase of further plots for the construction of shopping centers, retail parks, residential developments as well as mixed schemes.
Further information about Acteeum and its projects at: www.acteeum.pl