Wednesday, 7 October 2026
Services, entertainment, restaurants and health and beauty recorded faster turnover growth than the Polish shopping-centre market as a whole during the first half of 2026, providing further evidence of the role that non-traditional retail activities can play in established shopping destinations.
According to Polish Council of Shopping Centres (PRCH) figures cited by Star Capital Finance, overall shopping-centre turnover increased by 2.2% year-on-year in the first six months of 2026. Entertainment recorded growth of 7.1%, followed by health and beauty at 5.1%, restaurants and cafés at 3.8% and services at 3.6%. PRCH’s turnover index covers approximately 5.1 million sqm of shopping-centre space, representing around 38% of the Polish market.
The broader mix of uses can be seen at CH Rondo in Bydgoszcz, one of the properties owned by Star Capital Finance. The centre combines an Auchan hypermarket and retailers including JYSK with banking, telecommunications, pharmacy, postal, travel and other services. Its official information lists 730 parking spaces, while cycling facilities provide another means of accessing the property.
At CH Korona in Wrocław, the current offer includes 51 shops, 27 service businesses and 15 restaurants, according to the centre’s website. Auchan provides the grocery component, while Cinema City and Zdrofit extend the property’s offer into entertainment and fitness. The centre also has 2,009 parking spaces and provides facilities for cyclists and electric vehicles.
Both properties are examples of established shopping centres combining conventional retail with activities that can generate visits for different purposes. Services can address regular household requirements, while fitness, cinemas and restaurants provide reasons to use the centres independently of a conventional shopping trip. Additional facilities for families, older customers and people with disabilities are intended to make the properties accessible to a wider range of visitors.
Star Capital Finance became the owner of Rondo and Korona as part of its acquisition of a six-property Polish retail portfolio from Cromwell Property Group in 2024. The transaction covered approximately 219,000 sqm and was one of the larger Polish retail investment deals of that year.
The first-half turnover figures do not by themselves demonstrate that services and leisure are taking a larger share of shopping-centre floorspace or revenue. They do, however, show that several categories outside conventional merchandise retail expanded faster than the market average during the period.
For owners of mature shopping centres, this provides an argument for maintaining a diversified mix of retail, everyday services, food, fitness and entertainment rather than relying predominantly on conventional stores. Rondo and Korona illustrate how that approach is being applied at individual assets, while the PRCH figures indicate that several of these complementary categories contributed more strongly to turnover growth during the first half of 2026.
