How are companies adapting to the changing trends in workplace solutions? What is fundamentally different in the requirements of younger employees? How can employees use the workplace as an expression of company identity? The participants of the office leasing panel at Balkans Property Forum 2018, moderated by Michael Smithing FRICS, Former Member of the Europe and Hungary Boards of RICS, discussed new trends in workplace solutions.

Large retail chains operating mainly in shopping centres maintained an average growth rate of 12% in 2018, similar to 2017 and double the advance in consumption, which increased by 5.9% during the first ten months of the year, according to the second edition of Retailers' METRICS study by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Dentons’ Real Estate team in Warsaw has advised Hines Global REIT on the sale of a portfolio of five logistics properties in Poland. The transaction value was approximately €140 million. The assets were acquired by Gemini Poland Holdcos, affiliates of Blackstone Group.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal has ruled that 224 hectares of land in Bucharest’s Baneasa area, home to some of Bucharest’s largest retail projects and the U.S. Embassy, must return to the state. The decision is not final and can be challenged, zf.ro reports.

Poseidon Group continues to invest in the Serbian retail market by bringing its Capitol Park brand of retail parks to Zajecar in spring 2019.

Panattoni Europe announces that Tritax EuroBox, which invests in Continental European logistics real estate assets, has exchanged contracts to acquire a prime, modern national logistics facility at Strykow, Lodz, in Central Poland, let to Castorama Polska Sp. z o.o., one of Europe’s leading DIY retailers and part of Kingfisher plc. The total consideration payable by the company is €55 million (excluding purchaser's costs), reflecting a gross initial yield of 5.8% on the asset acquisition.

Carrefour has once again opted for WDP as its real estate partner for two new WDP sites in Romania (namely in Deva and in Brazi), totalling a surface of around 80,000 sqm. Both development projects represent an investment volume of around €40 million.

Tatra Asset Management (TAM) has acquired a portfolio of nine regional retail parks in Slovakia. The seller, which was represented by CBRE, is KLM Real Estate (KLMre). The transaction also includes the pre-emptive right for other retail parks that the developer is currently preparing.

The EBRD and Revetas, a specialist real estate investment advisor focusing on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), are joining forces for the acquisition and development of a portfolio of prime business properties in the region. The EBRD is investing €28.6 million in Project Keystone, a portfolio of premium real estate assets located across CEE representing a total gross leasable area of over 173,000 sqm. The total asset value, including gross development value, exceeds €450 million.

CTP completed the first three buildings in its brownfield redevelopment project Vlněna, located in central Brno. FGH, a complex of three buildings offering some 18,000 sqm, is already largely leased.