From M Park retail parks to shopping centres: M Core, expands its portfolio in Poland with the acquisition of Galeria Chełm from Equilis and Acteeum.

LCP Poland, part of M Core and one of the leading investors and developers in the Polish retail park market, has completed the acquisition of Galeria Chełm from Equilis and Acteeum. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. With this acquisition, LCP Poland's portfolio will expand by more than 17,000 sqm of retail space and 55 tenants. Over the coming months, the property will undergo a series of changes to align it with M Core's standards and strategy. These will include a refresh of the visual identity, rebranding, and a subtle name change through the addition of the "M" prefix, becoming M Galeria Chełm.

Jointly developed by Equilis and Acteeum, and opened in 2020, Galeria Chełm is a shopping centre located at the intersection of Lubelska and Rejowiecka streets, one of the city's key transport hubs. The scheme offers a spacious car park with more than 509 parking spaces for visitors and holds a BREEAM Very Good certification, recognizing its energy-efficient and sustainable design.

The centre is home to 55 tenants, including well-known brands such as Lidl, Reserved, Sinsay, Rossmann, Hebe, CCC, RTV Euro AGD, Martes Sport, Smyk, Rituals, New Yorker among many others.

"The acquisition of Galeria Chełm marks another important milestone in our growth strategy and underlines the importance of Poland as a key market for M Core. Over recent years, we have successfully developed the M Park retail park format, which today comprises almost 80 locations and has become one of the best-recognized retail park brands in Poland. At the same time, we see significant potential in other retail formats, and the acquisition reflects this strategy", said James Fife, CEO of LCP Poland, part of M Core

The transaction marks the successful completion of the investment cycle for Galeria Chełm, jointly developed by Equilis and Acteeum and fully leased since its opening in 2020.

"The sale of Galeria Chełm is an important milestone for Equilis and confirms the value created through our long-standing partnership with Acteeum. Together, we have developed a high-quality, well performing shopping centre that has become a well-established retail destination in its region. This transaction also illustrates the successful investment strategy of our DuoDev fund and our ability to develop, manage and deliver attractive retail assets for long-term investors”, said Carl Mestdagh, Executive Chairman, Equilis Europe

“We are grateful to the city of Chełm, our business partners for the property management and leasing and many others as well as to all our tenants for the harmonious cooperation over the past years. The center opened right at the start of the COVID pandemic and despite the challenges of that time managed to gain the trust of the millions of customers it has hosted over the past six years. With many activities and exciting sales campaigns both footfall and turnovers continuously have kept exceeding expectations year after year. We are proud and happy to now transfer Galeria Chełm in such a sound shape to the new host - LCP”, said Anna Grams-Szalacha, finance director and asset manager of Acteeum Group.

Following the acquisition, LCP Poland will begin the process of adapting the property to its operational and marketing standards. In line with the company's branding strategy, all retail parks within the portfolio operate under the M Park brand. Other retail assets, including shopping centres and standalone retail properties, are branded with the "M" prefix, reinforcing their connection to LCP's retail platform. Examples include M EMKA in Koszalin and, soon, M Galeria Chełm. The name change will be accompanied by a broader refresh of the shopping centre's visual identity, with the logo and branding being aligned with the design standards applied across LCP's portfolio.