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Shopping mall Galeria Podlaska in the Polish city of Bialystok is 85% occupied after several retailers signed new leases, Portuguese real estate adviser Spirit International announced on Monday.

Artman, the owner of House and Mohito clothing brands, is to open two shops in the 17,000 m² mall. House, one of the best known Polish youth clothing brands, will open its shop on 386 m² next month, while Mohito will occupy an area of 262 m² from August.

Selene, a chain of 36 shops offering beds, mattresses, bed frames and bedclothes, has leased approximately 180 m². 4F Sport Performance offering sports equipment and outdoor fashion and accessories, will open by the end of May and will occupy 122 m². Takko, the popular family fashion brand, and Kraina Smyka, a play area for kids, were opened in March.

Galeria Podlaska is a joint venture between Spirit International and developer and real estate investor Quinlan Private Golub, which acts as investment adviser and leasing manager for the project. The construction of Galeria Podlaska began in late 2006 and the mall was opened in November 2007. Major tenants include Carrefour, Douglas, Rossmann, Coccodrillo, Monnari, Converse and Sphinx restaurant. The total value of the investment was EUR 18mln.

Quinlan Private Golub - formed by Ireland's Quinlan Private and Chicago-based Golub & Company - is a leading real estate developer in Central and Eastern Europe.

Spirit International was launched in 2003 as a real estate advisory company based in the Algarve, Portugal. In 2005 the company set up a property development division. It is now headquartered in Dublin and has projects in the Algarve, Portugal, and in Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdynia and Bialystok, Poland. The company plans to continue its reach into Poland and will invest EUR 200mln over the next three years focusing on retail and residential projects.