Two Deals, One Direction – Xtreme Brands Enters Plejada in Sosnowiec
Plejada Shopping Centre in Sosnowiec has signed two lease agreements with Xtreme Brands for Xtreme Fitness Gyms and Xtreme KiDS, both of which are set to open at the property on ul. Staszica 8b. Together, the two concepts will occupy nearly 1,300 sq m – approximately 700 sq m for the fitness club and 600 sq m for the children’s space – and will form part of a broader redevelopment aimed at redefining the centre’s role in the local market.
Plejada currently spans over 33,000 sq m and is home to around 80 tenants, including a Carrefour hypermarket. For some time, the property’s owner and manager has been pursuing a strategy of moving away from a purely retail model towards a daily-use destination – with sport, leisure, services and food & beverage forming the core offering rather than an afterthought. The arrival of Xtreme Brands is a result of that strategy, not merely an announcement.
Fitness and a Play Centre as a Single Product
Placing Xtreme Fitness Gyms alongside Xtreme KiDS under one roof is a decision with clear operational logic: a family visiting the centre can spend time separately – one parent working out while the child plays in a supervised environment – before regrouping at one of the food & beverage outlets. It is a model that neither a standalone gym nor a standalone play centre can offer on its own.
Xtreme Fitness Gyms and Xtreme KiDS in one location is no coincidence – it is a deliberate response to how modern families organise their leisure time. When a parent can plan a workout alongside an activity for their child, and then everyone meets up for a coffee or a meal, the centre stops being just another errand and becomes part of the weekly routine. These are exactly the kinds of locations we are looking for – says Filip Puchalski, Commercial Director at Xtreme Brands.
Xtreme Fitness Gyms is a chain of over 160 clubs across Poland, operated under a franchise model. The clubs offer modern training facilities and fitness classes included in the membership fee – a pricing model designed for the mass market rather than a niche audience. Xtreme KiDS, meanwhile, is a multi-zone play centre concept catering to children of various ages, with a programme covering both everyday recreation and birthday party bookings.
Sosnowiec is a market with real potential and a well-established local community. Plejada is undergoing a thoughtful modernisation – not a refresh for its own sake, but a purposeful transformation. This is exactly the type of property where we want to build stable, long-term locations rather than test whether the market will respond – says Mariusz Dębowski, Head of Network Development at Xtreme Fitness Gyms.
A Separate Entrance as an Operational Asset
One of the more concrete elements of the redevelopment is a solution that may sound technical but carries real significance for tenants in the sport and leisure sector: a dedicated section of the centre will gain its own entrance, allowing it to operate independently of the shopping centre’s standard opening hours – including on Sundays restricted by Poland’s retail trading ban and on public holidays.
As part of the changes to the section of the centre where the leisure and food & beverage zone will be developed, we are introducing a separate entrance that will allow it to operate independently of the shopping centre’s opening hours – including on Sundays and public holidays. This was an important part of the modernisation for us, as we wanted residents to be able to access the new facilities freely – says Paula Bartosik, Director of Plejada Shopping Centre in Sosnowiec, Asset Services, Cushman & Wakefield.
For a fitness club and a children’s play centre, this is far from a minor detail – it is a condition of commercial viability. A gym that closes on Sundays alongside the rest of the shopping centre loses one of the busiest days of the week for this type of service.
Tenant Mix Restructuring as a Data-Driven Response
Plejada’s leasing decisions are informed by its own consumer research, and the findings reflect a broader trend across the shopping centre sector: customers are increasingly making fewer trips focused solely on shopping.
Our ongoing consumer research consistently shows that the importance of functions beyond traditional retail is growing. Customers today expect places where they can combine everyday errands with activities and services. This is one of the reasons behind the changes we are introducing at Plejada – both in the common areas and in the tenant mix. The modernisation and the new functions are intended to improve the visitor experience and better align the centre with the local market. We are pleased that the direction we have taken continues to attract dynamic, fast-growing brands committed to a long-term presence at Plejada in Sosnowiec – says Magdalena Gniazdowska, Leasing Manager at Cushman & Wakefield.
The lease transactions were brokered by Cushman & Wakefield, which manages the property. Opening dates for both locations have not yet been announced.
