European retail developer Multi Corporation has received building permission for Forum Radunia, a new urban shopping centre complex offering 62,000 m2 of gross leasable area (GLA) in Gdansk.

European retail developer Multi Corporation has received building permission for Forum Radunia, a new urban shopping centre complex offering 62,000 m2 of gross leasable area (GLA) in Gdansk.

The project is due to commence in autumn 2014 and will be built on one of the most strategically located sites in the TriCity area. The opening is planned for late 2016.

Forum Radunia has been designed to revitalise the six-hectare historic areas of the former Hay and Crayfish markets, bordered by 3 Maja, Armii Krajowej, Wa³y Jagiellonskie and Hucisko streets. The site is located in the very centre of the city, adjacent to the main railway station, the Old Town and key municipal buildings.

Forum Radunia will provide space for some 200 stores, a 9-screen Multikino cinema, Pure Jatomi fitness club, restaurants and cafes, and a multilevel parking for 1,100 vehicles. Tenants already include well-known Polish and international brands, including C&A, Deichmann, Diverse, Douglas, H&M, Rossmann, Solar, Super-Pharm, Triumph, Wólczanka and Yes, as well as McDonald’s.

Among them are also a number of Gdansk-based companies, including internationally expanding LPP with its fashion brands CROPP, HOUSE, Mohito, Reserved and Sinsay as well as the home furnishing brand home&you.

The concept design was provided by T+T Design, Multi’s in-house desing studio. The Polish branch of renowned French construction designers Sud Architectes is in charge of the detailed architectural plan. BPBK of Gdansk has designed the technical and road infrastructure.

An integral part of Forum Radunia will be Gdansk Heritage Centre, which will serve as a welcome point receiving guests arriving in the city. The Heritage Centre is to house the city’s main tourist information point, a scale model of the City of Gdansk, a multimedia room, an exhibition hall, a cafe, and offices. The Heritage Centre was designed by Studio Architektoniczne Kwadrat of Gdynia. The construction of the Heritage Centre will be financed by Multi Corporation, and the city authorities will take over and manage the facility once it is complete.

Multi Corporation owns and manages over 60 shopping centres across Europe and Turkey. The company, which was acquired by US private equity giant Blackstone in 2013, is active in 12 countries including the Netherlands where the company is headquartered, as well as Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, the UK and Turkey.