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FabriceBANSAYPREZES APSYS POLSKA

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WYWIAD [ APSYS POLSKA ]

T he company Apsys can be proud of almost 20 years of experience in the retail sector and activities related to shopping centres. What is your recipe for success?

I do not know if this is a recipe for success, but I think the key to our being successful is simply the combination of talent and passion of our employees which goes hand in hand with the realization of company’s vision. People working in marketing, development, property management, leasing departments and also other specialists are our greatest asset. Thanks to them, our vision of the retail industrycan be implemented: construction and development of innovative buildings together with creating the emotional link with our consumers and providing them with unique experiences. For this purpose, we take into account not only commercial aspects but also culturally and socially conditioned ways of spending free time as well as conditions specific for a given place town or city.

What characterizes Apsys team?Passion for the retail industry. I think that is the most impor-tant determinant for each of us, because our work is very ↓

IMAGINING TOMORROW

FABRICE BANSAY, president of Apsys PolskaForeign shopping centres in the UK, Singapore, USA and the Middle East are impressive

in size, splendour and modern technologies. Customers can do shopping there, meet friends,

play sports and spend their free time. Next year, Polish customers will also have such a

facilityof international class. Posnania by Apsys, the largest shopping and commercial centre of Wielkopolskaregion in progress, will not only

be a place to do shopping in, but also a new urban space where normal social, cultural and

entertainment life is going on

extensive and difficult and complex at the same time. "Retail is detail" –which means attention to detail plays a significant role. Therefore, if someone does not have passion for trade in one’s blood, it would be impossible to achieve the targets of individual departments - architectural, rental, management, etc. Apsys Poland is a team composed of more than 210 people who have different skills –among them there are developers, architects, engineers, tenancy agents and real estate specialists etc. Thanks to the passion for trade, the work is our pleasure and brings successful results. This shown by the example of Manufaktura, which has become one of the symbols of Lodz and transferred a challenge into a huge success of our team.

This approach seems perfectly fit to your company's credo - "Imagining tomorrow". How would you comment on this? What does it symbolize?

What is most important for us is to anticipate and go ahead of the consumers’ needs and expectations, as well as new trends and tendencies. Creating the future of the retail industry. The slogan "Imagining tomorrow" is the driving force for our un-conventionalactivities, a prerequisite for innovative thinking, the implementation of initiatives such as Apsys Lab. On the other hand, the motto expresses the values of Apsys, such as creativity, passion, determination and ambition.

So what are your predictions with regard to the Polish market? How will it develop and evolve?This is a very good question (laughter). To predict in which direction the Polish market will develop, you need to determine at what point it is nowadays. Currently, we have over 9 million square meters of retail space in Poland. The market is becoming more and more mature, and it is no longer sufficient for the customers to use the basic offer existing in the form of doing shopping in an ordinary hypermarket as it used to be in the 90s. The expectations of today's customers are much higher and they are strongly justified. We talk about great expectations in the context of the commercial offer, the variety of products

and services, exceptional shopping experience, the quality of service, as well as new technologies. Customers wish that their visit in the shopping centre was both simple and effective. We also see a lot of competition when it comes to the offer and Internet services. We observe a significant change as far as shopping habits are concerned. Considering those aspects, I believe that there is still room for new commercial buildings in Poland. However, a condition for their success is to meet all the expectations and needs, to ensure a suitable offer, inno-vative architecture, new technologies, various communication means with the customers, proper service and the service that makes the shopping experience unique. What I mean is the shopping quality that cannot be experienced while sitting at the computer and buying things on the Internet. It is therefore so vital to provide facilities such as restaurants, cafés, fitness rooms, swimming pools, cinemas or children's playgrounds.Photo: Apsys Polska

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Rataje roundabout, and also near the main road from the centre to the A2 highway which links Warsaw with Berlin, close to the ring road of Poznań. Furthermore, attention should be paid to its architecture, offer, customer services and new technologies which will ensure special experience while shopping.

Location in the very heart of the city makes an easy access to the shopping centre for Poznań residents.That is right. What is even more important, Posnania will be the only regional shopping centre with excellent accessibility - you will be able to reach it by means of 11 bus lines and 7 tram lines. Quite a big parking space including 3300 parking places will also be provided. An important aspect is also the size of the centre - 100 thousand square meters of the retail space. A wide offer of the new centre needs to be paid special attention – which includes, but is not limited to Carrefour hypermarket, DIY Leroy Merlin, cinema complex of the ne-west generation, fitness centre and swimming pool. Among the 40 tenants of medium- and large-sized venues you will find brands such as Zara, H&M, Van Graaf, Mango, Benetton, etc. Within the area of Posnania there will be 220 shops and over 40 restaurants and cafés.

The offer will not only be miscellaneous, but also unique, as some of the brands have not been available in Poznań until now, and even all over Poland.

Innovative architecture catches the eye as well.This is undoubtedly an aspect which distinguishes PoznaniaCentrum

in a particular way. It is characterized by an innovative desi-gn that integrates the centre with the surroundings very well, representing the vision of Posnania as a miniature of the city. Common areas such as the Forum, Rotunda, Winter Garden and Food Court, will serve as placesto meet, work and relax. They will also be the site of many artistic and entertainment events. In front of the centre, there will be an amphitheatre with a colour-lighted fountain, which will be turned into an ice rinkduring the winter. Numerous restaurants, cafés and summer gardens, green areas, children's playgrounds and bi-cycle paths will make Posnania a place friendly and open to the city and people.

For tenants, the uniqueness of the architecture is also cru-cial, like for example showcases reaching double the normal size up to 8 meters - for the first time in Poland. These are sizes used by the flagship brands in such prestigious locations as Westfield in London, Champs-Elysees in Paris or Fifth Avenue in New York City. International brands will be created a fantastic opportunity to show their products and a huge range of marketing activities.

And what about the quality of customer service?This is definitely an important aspect. With Apsys Lab, which is our internal think-tank, we have implemented and developed many new services and technologies that are unique for the Polish market. In Posnania, you will find, among other things, an intelligent parking system and concierge service. A lounge zone, modelled on airports, will be available for regular customers.

Nice way of shopping will be enhanced by the ability to order the delivery of shopping directly to your car or home. So called "hands free shopping" service will also be provided, as well as consultancy services offered by stylists and advisors of different specialties. The solution "click and collect" will allow you to buy products via the Internet and collect them in Posnania Shopping Centre.

Innovative solutions applied in Posnania make a great impression.That is true. The development and opportunity to use the newest technology is extremely fundamental, because nowa-days almost everyone has a smartphone or tablet. Thanks to modern solutions, Posnania’s customers will be provided with information, on a current basis, concerning the parking place, along with a map of the shopping centre including a parking place marked thereon. If a particular shop is chosen on the map, immediate information will be provided by means of navigation which will lead you straight to the desired location. We also develop a new generation of mobile applications to show, through multi-channelling,various possibilities offered by the shopping centre, and the phenomenon of multi-chan-nelling itself will be regarded as a great change - not a threat. Beacons will be provided, the technology that spreads infor-mation via sensors that send signals to smartphones and help tomake interactive relationships with the consumers. Posnania will be much more than just a commercial facility –this will be a lifestyle centre, defining and specifying a certain style of

POSNANIA IN NUMBERS

300 mln EUR mln EUR total sum of the investment

1 mln of the residents within 45 min–according to the market

research conducted by DTZ

100 000 sq m. GLA – lease area

260 000 sq m. – total area

80% – commercialisation level Data for day: 16 April 2015

3300 – parking places

300 – brands

220 – boutiques

40 – large and medium-format stores

40 – restaurants and cafés

Autumn 2016 Posnania grand opening

http://posnania.eu

The greatest award for us is satisfaction of 90 million

customers, who visit our shopping centres in Poland each year and satisfaction of 1,300 tenants with whom

we cooperate in this country

Is Posnania going to be like that?Yes. Posnania will be the outcome of 20 years of our experience and know-how as well as understanding the expectations of the Polish consumers.

What do you consider the greatest asset of the new project implementedby Apsys? What is a magnet drawing both customers and tenants?I think the combination of many factors will make Posnania truly unique. First of all, Poznań itself is very attractive. The entire agglomeration of Poznań has approx. 1 million inhabi-tants. Additionally, it is the second, in terms of purchase power, city in Poland. Another factor is the outstanding location of the project. Posnania is constructed in the heart of the city, at

Photo. Apsys Polska

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WYWIAD

life. Therefore "tweet wall" will be the part thereof - creating and integrating a community that through this solution will communicate interactively, exchange information and express its moods. I think that with all those unique aspects, Posnania will become a place where you can eat, spend your free time, take advantage of the entertainment and cultural offer, meet with friends and, of course, go shopping

Many international and regional brands decided to open their stores in Posnania. What is the current Posnania commercialization level?The commercialization process is our great success, because 15 months prior to the opening of Posnania, is has been already leased in 80%.

[ APSYS POLSKA ]

Posnania will not be just another shopping centre, but the object of the utmost importance in the region and playing its significant role on the commercial map between Warsaw and Berlin. This will be a place for diversified brands - local and regional, national and international.

The construction site looks impressive. At what stage are the current works on the Posnania?Posnania is currently the largest construction project in Cen-tral Europe when it comes to investments in the retail sector. Building construction will take 26 months. The works were commenced in June last year. The grand opening is scheduled for autumn 2016. Currently, foundations and underground parking have already been completed. The construction of gro-

und floor is scheduled for end of May 2015, and the first floor will be completed by the end of July 2015. The construction is really impressive, because in the area of 9 ha,there are as many as 15 huge cranes operating and several thousandsof people working. The works are observed to be progressing from week to week and the whole extraordinary project is becoming real before our very eyes.

Your efforts and 20 years of experience have been noticed and appreciated by the industry, e.g. in the form of numerous awards.That is true, however the greatest award for us is satisfaction of 90 million customers, who visit our shopping centres in Poland each year and satisfaction of 1,300 tenants with whom we cooperate in this country. The real award for us is also the trust that we are credited with by the owners of commercial buildings who entrust us with the management of centres and malls. This year again, we were awarded for the best developer

and manager of shopping centres within competitions CEE Retail Awards and the CEE Green Building Awards. These awards allow us to find a good place for Apsys among the competitors. I think one of the most valuable trophies we have won so far, is the award of the International Council of Shop-ping Centres for the best, large and European shopping centre, which was granted to Manufaktura in Łódź. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the industry.

Your company is present in Poland and France. Are there any major differences between the two markets?If we think about the maturity of the market and the organi-zation of the retail industry these are two completely different areas. In France, high-street is of greatimportance, which in

Poland, for various reasons, is much less developed. Undoub-tedly, the presence thereof in both countries is a big advantage for us, because we use the experience of very different markets, and thus we are monitoring a wide range of customers’needs. This makes it easier for us to meet consumers’ requests; we can react and respond to them faster. Despite the differences, these experiences are complementing one another. What is common for Poland and France is the fact that customers are nowadays more and more demanding. They are not happy to have ordi-nary shopping centres, they want something extraordinaryand they want something more.

At the beginning of this year, Apsys portfolio was extended by next 2 objects. What centres would you encourage to cooperate with your company?I think that today Apsys can be proud of its leading position when it comes to managing companies and companies develo-ping commercial buildings. Thanks to the project Apsys Lab we

can show that our way of thinking is innovative, we anticipate trends and weare ahead of consumers’ expectations. The owners of shopping centres can benefit from our expert knowledge of the Polish retail market - brand development strategy, custo-mers’ needs, etc. Therefore, the turnover and footfall of retail centres managed by our companyis growing. I can proudly say that the turnover rate of centres managed by Apsys grew year to year by 5.66% in November 2014, while the index given by the PRCH was -2.7%

You implement innovative activities also in the field of ecology - 16 of the centres managed by Apsys are certified BREEAM-In-Use rated "excellent" or "very good".It is true, the environmental protection is very important to us.

We are a responsible and environmentally friendly company, both in terms of facility management and construction of new projects. For us, it is not just a matter of marketing. We believe that it is our duty and priority. We are also aware that the environmentally friendly approach we represent is appreciated by our customers. On the other hand, such behaviours can save you, for example, the energy used. In some of our facilities we save as much as 30%. Within Apsys Lab, the "Smart Centre" is implemented, that constitutes an intelligent facility mana-gement. Special trainings for tenants are organised to provide them with extensive knowledge in the field of eco-manage-ment. We have also prepared Posnania project in a proper way to make sure, that this centre will also be granted a certificate BREEAM-In-Use. ■

Eliza Mrowińska, Agnieszka Nejman

APSYS POLSKA IN NUMBERS:

19 years of business activities

20 shopping centres in the management portfolio

16 centres with certificates BREEAM-In-Use, rated

„excellent” or „very good”

1320 lease agreements in the management portfolio

90 mln of customers per year

At the beginning of 2015 the portfolio under Apsys management has grown of 2 shopping centers and nowadays Apsys is one of the leaders in assets management on the Polish market. The above is reflected in numerous awards the company has received, among others Property Management Firm of the Year, Retail Developer of the Year and Overall Company of the Year got at the ceremony Green and Investment Building Awards

What brands will be available for Poznań residents?The list is very long, but I can mention some of the tenants like Carrefour hypermarket (10 thousand. Sqm) and Leroy Merlin DIY (10 thousand Sq m). When it comes to the industry of fashion, all brands of Inditex group will be present in Posnania (i.e. Zara, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Oysho, Zara Home), LPP Group, also with the entire portfolio (Reserved, Mohito, Cropp Town, House, Home & You), H & M, Mango, Van Graaf and many others. Tenants from other sectors include, for example Douglas, Sephora, Rossmann, Superpharm, Inter-sport, Nike and Adidas. We also develop a premium sector, i.e. high-end brands like Armani Jeans, with which we negotiate. Many of them have not been present in Poznań so far.

Some of the brands are the companies debuting on the Polish market like, for example Mini Raxevsky.That is true, in Posnania you will see a lot of brands which are new on the Polish market. It is worth emphasizing that

Photo: Apsys Polska