White Star Real Estate expands retail portfolio with three Plaza centers in Silesia

12 maja 2025

White Star Real Estate – a leading property owner, manager, and developer in the Central and Eastern European region – has taken over the management of three shopping centers from the Focus Estate Fund portfolio: Rybnik Plaza, Ruda Śląska Plaza, and Sosnowiec Plaza. This move marks another stage in the long-term cooperation between the fund and White Star Real Estate, which already includes properties such as Galeria Sandecja in Nowy Sącz, Ferio Legnica, and Galeria Sandomierz.

The Silesian retail portfolio, acquired by Focus Estate Fund in March 2025, comprises a total of 46,200 sqm of GLA. Since the acquisition, White Star Real Estate has been responsible for both property management and leasing activities, further expanding its commercial real estate portfolio.

“Our cooperation with Focus Estate Fund is not only a sign of mutual trust, but also a recognition of the quality and effectiveness of our work. Taking over the property management and leasing of three shopping centers in Silesia is an important step in executing our strategy to grow the retail segment and strengthen White Star Real Estate’s presence in regions with high consumer potential,” says Bartosz Prytuła, Managing Partner, Poland at White Star Real Estate.

The Plaza shopping centers in Rybnik, Ruda Śląska, and Sosnowiec are multifunctional urban retail complexes offering a total of over 120 stores, service points, restaurants and entertainment venues, including cinemas. Thanks to their central locations and convenient transport accessibility, they attract a broad customer base from the cities and surrounding areas on a daily basis. The centers serve a population of over 2.6 million residents within a 40-minute drive.

“With the recent acquisition of retail centers in Silesia, we continue to expand our portfolio in high-potential locations. At Focus Estate Fund, we specialize in turning around retail assets by identifying value added potential and unlocking it through active management and strategic repositioning. Our in-house expertise in leasing, marketing, CAPEX and asset management in general allows us to enhance performance indicators and drive long-term value not just in press release quotes but looking at our portfolio historic traction as well. This transformation becomes especially effective when we bring on board experienced and trusted partners like White Star Real Estate. The decision to entrust them with the property management of additional assets stems from their professional approach, flexibility, and deep understanding of market needs,” comments Maxim Shkolnick, General Partner at Focus Estate Fund.

White Star Real Estate has been working with Focus Estate Fund for several years on the management of Galeria Sandomierz, and more recently has taken over Galeria Sandecja in Nowy Sącz and Ferio Legnica. For the newly acquired Plaza properties, the company is responsible not only for day-to-day property management but also for handling leasing processes and tenant relations.

About White Star Real Estate and Focus Estate Fund

White Star Real Estate is a diversified real estate company whose core businesses include acquisition and development of properties, and provision of asset and property management services. The company has been present in the Central and Eastern European region since 1997, leading the completion of over 50 development projects and currently managing more than 100 buildings with over 2 million square meters. These properties include a large portfolio of landmark office buildings, as well as several warehouse, retail, leisure and residential developments. With offices in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania, White Star’s team of over 300 people is focused on providing clients with high quality, best of class, real estate asset management services, as well as sourcing and developing real estate opportunities in the CEE markets.

Focus Estate Fund is a private equity real estate investment fund focusing on non-prime value added retail properties. The Fund’s strategy is to invest in the existing mid-market convenience retail properties in Europe’s most dynamic markets.

Agnieszka Kurczych

PR & Marketing Manager White Star Real Estate