Helios and Echo Investment conclude a lease agreement for over 2,300 sqm in Outlet Park Szczecin, which is to be occupied by a 6-screen cinema.

In the ceremonial signing of the agreement that took part on November 18th, 2010 particpated Jan Bogdan, vice-president of Helios and Marcin Materny, head of the shopping centre department at Echo Investment. The meeting took place during MAPIC, one of the biggest commercial property events in Europe that takes place in the famous Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France.

“We are very satisfied with our cooperation with Helios in Galeria Echo in Kielce and we are happy with another agreement. We are working on further projects together” says Marcin Materny, head of the shopping centre department at Echo Investment.

Jan Bogdan, representing Helios, “Our cooperation with Echo Investment has been going very well, that is why we have chosen this partner again. We are planning 17 new projects in the years 2010 - 2014, including a few to be carried out in cooperation with Echo. Outlet Park Szczecin is one of them. We have chosen this project because it is a new area and a new way of selling. We believe that a cinema in this location will be successful. The facility will have 6 air-conditioned rooms that will accommodate 1,500 seats. The cinema will be equipped with digital projectors with a possibility of screening films in 3D technology, Perlux pear screens and Dolby Digital EX sound system. Moreover, there will be a popcorn bar and a Nescafe cafe.”

Marcin Materny comments on the Outlet Park project, “Dividing the project into an outlet part and an entertainment part is a result of the specific location and expectations of the market. Struga street where Outlet Park is located is the main retail street on the right-bank of Szczecin, with approx. 100,000 inhabitants. Several dozen thousand people who live within a 10-minute walk anticipated a multi-screen cinema from us. On the other hand, the proximity of the motorway interchange, the S3 expressway and the national road no. 3 as well as excellent car access to the main part of Szczecin and the satellite towns makes it a dream location for an outlet centre. Over 2 mln potential customers live in the catchment area of Outlet Park, which is calculated as a 90-minute drive for facilities of this type.”

The companies Echo Investment and Helios have been cooperating for many years. The 7-screen Kinoplex, which belongs to the Helios chain, has been operating in Galeria Echo in Kielce since 2002. A 9-screen Helios cinema will also be present in Galeria Amber in Kalisz which is being developed by Echo Investment.

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Outlet Park Szczecin is the first outlet centre in the West Pomeranian province. It is being developed by Echo Investment on Struga street in Szczecin.

The leasable area of Outlet Park Szczecin will amount to over 23,000 sqm. Customers will have 1,400 parking spaces at their disposal. Outlet Park will be developed in three stages. The first stage will include a shopping gallery with a leasable area of approx. 10,000 sqm, where 70 retail outlets will be located; in the second stage there will be a cinema, a supermarket and an electronic shop while the third one will include 9,000 sqm, which is to accommodate approx. 60 outlets. The complete facility will have approx. 120-130 tenants.

The architectural concept of Outlet Park Szczecin was created in Vsf – Creative architectural studio.

The first stage of the project will already be launched in Q1 2011. The stage is to be completed by Q4 2011.

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Helios is a film centre which holds third place among the biggest cinema chains on the Polish market and has been operating since 1993. Helios currently has 24 multiplexes and 2 traditional cinemas, 140 screens and over 31,000 seats in: Białystok, Bielsko Biała, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Gdańsk, Gniezno, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin, Legnica, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Opole, Piła, Piotrków Trybunalski, Płock, Radom, Rzeszów, Sosnowiec, Warszawa and Wrocław, among other places.

www.heliosnet.pl