01 / Task
Determine the best use for a commercial building
The owner of a building in St. Petersburg requested concept development: they needed to understand what format would ensure sustainable demand, a clear positioning, and commercial viability for the facility. The goal wasn't simply to distribute tenants across the space, but to create a viable use case for the building.
Initial situation
A building with potential but no established role
The property had a large footprint, an urban location, and several possible development scenarios. It was necessary to determine which model would be in demand by area residents, understandable to tenants, and economically feasible.
The key question
What content will generate regular traffic?
The analysis was intended to show which functions would become anchors, which would reinforce each other, and how to transform a one-time visit into a repeat, loyal, and multi-purpose scenario.
Solution
Local shopping mall of the modern generation
Best use was formulated as a place of attraction: trade, food, wellness, fitness, spa, children's leisure, services, events and public space in a single visitor route.
02 / Analysis and Audience
Location, demand, competitors and target groups
The study answered a practical question: who does the facility serve, what scenarios will fill it with people, and why the selected set of features can generate not only visitor flow but also repeat visits.
«"The building's best use is as a local shopping and entertainment center that addresses the area's everyday, leisure, and wellness needs."»
The best-use conclusion was formed based on an analysis of the location, competitive environment, demand structure, neighborhood resident behavior, and shopping center development trends. The classic "tenant mix plus retail space" model was deemed insufficient: the facility needed to become a destination for groceries, food, recreation, sports, children's activities, events, and services.
Object
10,950 m²
Project GBA. The analysis assessed the usable area, public areas, distribution of functions, and the commercial logic of the property.
Usable area
9,280 m²
GLA is approximately 80% of area: this indicator made it possible to assemble a rich functional content without losing public space.
Planned cross-country ability
1 700
Visitors per day when reaching planned attendance. The calculation was based on the length of stay and repeat visits.
CA 01
Residents of the Astro Marina residential complex
The immediate core of demand: approximately 3,000 people. For them, the facility becomes a convenient everyday infrastructure close to home.
CA 02
Residents of neighboring residential complexes within a radius of 1 km
An additional local core consists of approximately 4,000 people. This audience generates regular traffic to the supermarket, food court, wellness center, and children's areas.
CA 03
The area's growing middle class
For this group, the area lacked modern local infrastructure: quality leisure, sports, food, services, and space for weekends.
CA 04
Business centers and hotels in the area
Offices and hotels provide daytime and evening traffic: lunches, meetings, quick purchases, services, and partnership programs with tenants.
CA 05
Residents of the center and tourists
A unique concept, events, food court, and spa experience can attract audiences from other areas, and not just serve the surrounding area.
03 / Methodology
Research stages
The work progressed from the external environment to the internal logic of the property: first, the location and demand were studied, then hypotheses were formed regarding functions, after which they were assembled into a planning, commercial, and financial model.
Stage 01
Location and audience
The main sources of demand were identified: residents of nearby residential complexes, offices and hotels in the area, residents of the city center, tourists, and everyday local traffic.
Stage 02
Market and competitors
We assessed the saturation of the shopping center market, the obsolescence of traditional formats, and the demand for spaces that combine retail and leisure.
Stage 03
Object functions
We tested which units could operate together: a supermarket, food court, restaurant patio, spa, fitness center, beauty salon, children's area, coworking space, and services.
Stage 04
Economy and risks
We compiled a revenue scenario, rental zones, sales percentages, parking requirements, site restrictions, and a SWOT for the project.
04 / Concept
A place of attraction, not just a shopping center
Instead of a classic shopping center, a hybrid model was proposed: the facility fulfills several visitor needs in a single visit—grocery shopping, eating, exercising, relaxing, bringing a child, working, meeting friends, or spending a day off.
The website as a showcase of trust
Website
Video, catalog and application
Digital
Quality and Methodology
Expertise
Textures and product close-up
Quality
01 / first floor
The first floor as the main visiting scenario
The common space, complete with a stage, tables, food court, and visual concept, serves as the project's emotional center. Visitors come not only to buy, but also for the atmosphere, the encounter, and the leisure time.
02 / food & events
A restaurant and wine courtyard with a stage
Live chamber music, an open-air stage, a wine courtyard, a cheese shop, and tiered seating enhance the stay and make the venue a great choice for an evening or weekend visit.
03 / wellness
SPA, fitness and beauty salon as a single unit
Fitness, yoga, dance, spa, hammam, salt rooms, relaxation area, and beauty salon generate regular weekly traffic. A combined membership enhances loyalty and combines several services into a single itinerary.
04 / kids
Children's area and mini-panda park
Children's leisure facilities make the facility family-friendly: children enjoy active recreation and creativity, while parents can combine their visit with a restaurant, spa, shopping, or sports.
05 / everyday anchor
Supermarket, shopping arcade and services
A supermarket with a separate entrance, a shopping arcade, a pharmacy, ATMs, and a pickup point generate daily traffic. This anchor brings people in regularly and then redirects the flow to food, services, and leisure.
06 / second floor
The second floor and food court are a continuation of the route
A food court, tables with double-height lighting, a separate entrance for couriers, and a connection to the coworking space create a daytime, evening, and delivery scenario. The second floor is no longer a secondary space.
07 / work & community
Coworking, workshops, and flexible formats
Coworking spaces, seminars, master classes, and other formats like anti-cinema or dance studios add a sense of occasion to the venue and give visitors reasons to return for more than just shopping.
08 / identity & retail
Merch and small retail formats serve not only as a source of revenue but also as a marketing tool for the location: they enhance identity, memorability, and the feeling of being a unique local project.
Live chamber music, an open-air stage, a wine courtyard, a cheese shop, and tiered seating enhance the stay and make the venue a great choice for an evening or weekend visit.
Traffic
Each function gives its own reason to come
Grocery – every day, fitness and spa – regularly, restaurant and events – in the evenings and on weekends, children’s area – for family visits.
Cross-selling
The functions reinforce each other.
Visitors can combine a supermarket, food court, children's area, spa, sports, and services. This increases the check, length of stay, and tenant value.
Loyalty
The object becomes a habitual route
The scenario is designed so that a person returns many times: after work, with children, for training, for food, for a concert, or just to spend free time.
Attraction
Of interest not only to the immediate area
The unique combination of wellness, food court, events, and visual environment attracts residents from other areas and tourists.
05 / Research Fragments
Report fragments and concepts
The page outlines the project's logic: from audience and location analysis to layout, functions, revenue, and SWOT analysis. Private details, agreements, and internal calculations are not disclosed.
Place of attraction / selected pages
Logic of analysis
The hypotheses were tested through traffic, audience, and behavioral scenarios.
Each function was considered not in isolation, but as part of a route: who comes, why they come, how long they spend, what they buy additionally, and which zones reinforce each other.
Concept
The commercial model is linked to the experience of the place
The financial logic was based on a combination of rent, sales commissions, regular traffic, an event program, wellness memberships, and synergies between retail, food, sports, and recreation.
06 / Result
What did the building owner receive?
The result was a working concept for best use: who needs the facility, why the format of a modern, local shopping center was chosen, what features should be included, how they generate traffic, and what the commercial model is based on.
Best use
justified format of the object
Based on an analysis of the market, location, competitors, audience, and trends, a new format for the attraction was chosen: a local shopping and entertainment center of the next generation.
Filling
a system of functions, not a set of tenants
A supermarket, food court, restaurant patio, spa, fitness center, beauty salon, children's area, coworking space, services, and events were combined into a single logical visitor experience.
Economy
traffic and revenue verification
The concept involved calculations such as rent, sales revenue, footfall, parking restrictions, risk zones, and the project's financial potential.
The main value of this work is that the owner received not a "beautiful idea," but a manageable model for the building's development: a clear target audience, regular visitor scenarios, a set of mutually reinforcing functions, and a well-reasoned commercial product for further implementation.
Ready to grow?
Let's discuss the budget, timeframe, and what really works here and now.
Leave a request - I will review the task and suggest a work format.