Warsaw’s Norblin Factory Is Two Years Old

The Capital Park Group is celebrating the second birthday of its flagship investment in Warsaw’s Wola district. The Norblin Factory is now almost fully leased, with 14 new concepts joining the complex in the last year to take up a total of nearly 7,400 sq. m of space. Over that time, the complex at 51/53 Żelazna Street has been visited by almost 14 million guests.

It is exactly two years since the former Norblin, Buch Brothers and T. Werner factories began to live their second life. The complex opened in September 2021 and recorded 13,773,000 visitors in its second year of operation. Nearly 180,000 guests visited the complex on the birthday weekend alone, 23 and 24 September.

“The second birthday of the Norblin Factory is an important reason for us to rejoice and celebrate. When we were starting the project, we were hoping that it would become a popular place in the capital, but reality has exceeded our expectations. The Norblin Factory has very quickly won the hearts of Varsovians and tourists, as well as entrepreneurs. With the opening of new concepts, the number of visitors to the complex has grown steadily, and we have hosted more than 2 million people in each of the last three months. The complex has been leased in 98% and we have less than 600 sq. m of space left until full commercialisation,” said Kinga Nowakowska, Management Board Member and Chief Operating Officer at Capital Park Group.

Additional tenants have opened spaces in the complex in the last 12 months, occupying a total of nearly 7,400 sq. m. Several concepts have joined the largest food zone in Poland, spanning just under 10,000 sq. m: the MOXO restaurant and music club (1,200 sq. m), the Lebanese restaurant Amar Beirut (700 sq. m), the Wine First wine bar (150 sq. m), Bibi's Cafe & Bar (180 sq. m), The Bakery (70 sq. m), and the Donkey Shoe (130 sq. m). The Capital Park Group has recently signed a lease with Answear.com. The fashion giant will soon join the shopping offer of the Norblin Factory: the first (and so far only) stationary Answear.com store will open and the PRM store will be relocated here. In total, they will occupy 2,500 sq. m of space.

Two travel agencies, Krok Travel (25 sq. m) and Itaka (23 sq. m), have joined the retail offering. The entertainment offer includes the Smart Kids Planet (1,600 sq. m), which has selected the Norblin Factory for its new location and enjoys unflagging interest of young visitors since the opening. The offer of the Health and Beauty Zone now includes the prestigious Dębski Clinic (219 sq. m), the Dr Irena Eris Cosmetic Institute (230 sq. m), as well as two hairdressing salons: Magia Blondu (200 sq. m) and Barber Garage (90 sq. m).

The Norblin Factory offers one of the most technologically advanced mobile applications used by tenants, employees, and visitors. It is enjoying increasing popularity. The app has recorded a total of more than 155,000 downloads by the end of August 2023. It has been awarded at this year’s PropTech Festival.

In addition to the cyclical concerts and exhibitions that regularly take place at the Norblin Factory, the past year has brought a range of exceptional events that have attracted many groups of enthusiasts to Żelazna Street. Fans of modern art could see original exhibitions at the Art Box Experience, including “Save the Planet”, “Retro Warsaw” and the extremely popular “Immersive Monet & The Impressionists”, visited by more than 85,000 people. In June, leading bartenders from around the world descended on Food Town during the World Flair Association Grand Slam, a competition that returned to Poland after a 12-year absence. The boutique cinema Kinogram hosted nearly 500 events and 130 film premieres over that period, including the most spectacular ones: “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, “The Little Mermaid” and “100 Years of Warner Bros”. These events attracted throngs of Polish film stars and celebrities and received huge media attention.

In its second year of operation, the Norblin Factory has received the “Barrier-Free Facility” certificate and the final BREEAM certificates for both the office and retail spaces at Excellent and Very Good levels, respectively. Best proof of the success and effective revitalisation of the post-factory site came with the 2022 ULI Global Awards for Excellence. The Capital Park Group’s investment was one of two European developments short-listed as the world’s top five investments.

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Norblin Factory is a multifunctional complex in the heart of Warsaw’s Wola district. After a years’ long revitalisation of the former Norblin, Buch Brothers and T. Werner factories completed by the Capital Park Group, it has reopened to the city with its charming historical buildings integrated with modern architecture. cultural, entertainment, food, health and beauty concepts are available to visitors of Norblin Factory, including the original boutique cinema KinoGram, the organic market BioBazar, the largest food hall in the capital city with Food Town and many restaurants, the Piano Bar with live music, Norblin Factory Museum, Art Box Experience gallery, Apple Museum Poland, edutainment concept – Smart Kids Planet as well as shops and retail and service outlets. The complex also houses Yes and W.Kruk jewellery stores, a L’Erbolario drugstore with Italian cosmetics, a Super-Pharm drugstore, Medicover Stomatology, as well as optical salons Paris Optique, Sirene Eyewear and Medicover Optyk. The venue is also home to a branch of PKO Bank Polski, Orangetheory Fitness, a self-service grocery store Żabka Nano, the Lifestyle Designers Boutique offering stationery and business accessories, the Stephanie Home & Decoration showroom, a shop of the Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen, the Buqiet florist’s, Barbare Garage, Lantre salon with Apple brand equipment, Good Lood ice cream parlor, Pijalnia Ziół Dary Natury and M&P alcohol salon with a wide selection of drinks.