Carrefour Polska, a supermarket, has agreed to lease about 50,000 sf in the center. Mediaexpert, an electronics goods store, is taking about 27,000 sf. Jeweler Apart, Vision Express, women's fashion store Taranko and the Arab restaurant Marhaba are leasing about 5,500 sf. Michal Masztakowski, associate director at CB Richard Ellis, negotiated the lease terms on behalf of the developer.

Richard Keen, managing director at the self-named developer, tells GlobeSt.com that there will be 180 stores when the $111 million retail property is opened in spring 2010. "We are in advanced negotiations with several other companies, and will announce the opening of more highly-desired Polish and international retail brands in Galeria Victoria soon," he says.

The project will help redevelop a neglected part of the city, Keen says. The city, using a Special Economic Zone, has also brought in companies such as Toyota Motor Corp., Whirlpool and General Electric. "As a result, unemployment, although still slightly higher than the national average, continues to fall as investment in the city increases, and the disposable income of the local community is steadily increasing accordingly," he says.