Roksolana Pyrtko on the Role of Sports in Shopping and Entertainment Centers: How a Non-Core Investment Becomes a Competitive Advantage

 

For many shopping center owners, sports infrastructure still inspires caution. It is often seen as a non-core direction that requires significant investment, complex engineering solutions, and heightened safety standards. Added to that are high energy consumption, demanding maintenance, and a lack of professional operators capable of managing such facilities. It’s no surprise that sports facilities in shopping centers are often viewed as projects with uncertain or slow financial returns.

This approach is understandable if one evaluates sports spaces only through short-term profitability metrics. But in the long run, the picture looks different. Sports bring a steady rhythm of life to a shopping center: people come two or three times a week to train, bring their children, use other services, stop for coffee, or do some shopping. This type of traffic is stable, predictable, and high-quality — an active, socially engaged audience with above-average income.

Having worked for six years in the format of a shopping and entertainment center, we have seen that the sports component is not an “addition” to entertainment but a mechanism that strengthens the entire facility. It builds community loyalty, shapes the center’s unique identity, and maintains consistent footfall even during periods of reduced business activity. At a time when traditional retail models need renewal, sports become an element of resilience — and, for many, a true competitive advantage.

Practical Advantages of a Sports Component

The benefits of sports infrastructure become evident once it is viewed not as an expense but as part of the shopping center’s ecosystem. The first advantage is stable attendance. Clients of sports clubs come regularly, two to three times per week, regardless of the season or holidays. This predictability provides a base traffic level that other tenants can rely on.

These visitors don’t just use sports services. After training, they often visit cafés, shop, or go to salons and pharmacies. This creates a “chain activity effect” — where one type of tenant drives sales for others.

Family audiences are another major asset. For many families, sports sections become a habitual leisure format. Parents bring their children to swimming, tennis, or boxing lessons and spend that time in restaurants or running errands within the center. As a result, the sports component increases the average duration of visits and makes the center more family-friendly.

Sports also generate an event effect. Competitions, tournaments, and sports festivals attract additional audiences and create positive publicity. Such events not only increase foot traffic but also strengthen the community’s association of the center with activity, development, and a healthy lifestyle.

The social dimension is equally important. Sports naturally integrate loyalty programs — discounts for veterans, students, pensioners, or people with disabilities. This strengthens public trust and demonstrates that the business views sports not merely as a source of profit but as a social function.

Investing in infrastructure for professional athletes also enhances the image of Ukraine and creates opportunities for them to train in facilities meeting modern European standards. In our case, the shopping and entertainment center became an example of how a financial “burden” can be turned into a distinguishing feature that sets the facility apart from others in Lviv. Today, it attracts like-minded people who care about health, longevity, and the future of their children.

Finally, sports infrastructure acts as an anchor that supports long-term stability. Although rental rates for such spaces may be lower, they attract complementary tenants — those operating in healthy food, beauty, wellness, or green energy. As a result, the center gains a clear thematic direction and a coherent value proposition for its visitors.

Social Dimension

For us, sports infrastructure is not just a functional block or leasable area. It’s part of the center’s philosophy — combining economic logic with social value. At a time when Ukrainian society faces serious challenges, sports help restore energy, discipline, and a sense of normalcy. Shopping centers that provide space for such activities become not just places of consumption but hubs of community support.

Investing in sports is an investment not only in attendance but in reputation. It sends a message that the business is ready to think beyond short-term profits — to create conditions for physical, social, and cultural growth. That is why, in our work, we view sports as a long-term investment in the quality of the environment, the health of cities, and public trust in business as an institution.

Sports do not replace the commercial aspect of a shopping and entertainment center — they complement it harmoniously. They ensure a balance between economic efficiency and social responsibility — precisely what both city residents and investors are looking for today.

Conclusion

The experience of our shopping and entertainment center shows that the sports component can be not a cost burden but a strategic resource. It generates stable traffic, strengthens community trust, builds partnerships, and enhances the business’s reputational value. For us, sports have become not an experiment but a natural continuation of the concept of a modern shopping and entertainment center — open, socially engaged, and focused on human development.