Construction cranes are a common sight when walking around Budapest, marking the rapid property development taking place. Soon, scores of office buildings will appear out of nowhere. The changes are especially dramatic on Váci Road. Just a few minutes’ walk north of the metro station on Dózsa György Road there are three adjacent construction sites. But there are developments in progress all over the city, paving the way for new business centres.  

Mint Investments, a Central European real estate investment & asset manager acquired the International Business Center (IBC) in Prague on behalf of a syndicate of private investors. The buyer was AEW Europe, a multi-national real estate asset manager, with over €60 billion of assets under management. AEW was advised by CBRE, Havel, Holásek & Partners and Mazars. Mint Investments were advised by Mareš Partners and EY.

HB Reavis has completed the issue of a new series of its PLN 500 million bond programme established for the Polish market, raising €51.9 million (PLN 220 million). This latest issue represents not only the largest tranche in the history of the HB Reavis Group but also the largest bond issue achieved by a commercial real estate developer in Poland this year.

Colliers International has announced the off-market sale of two industrial properties in the Czech Republic by Red Group for a total consideration of almost  CZK 1 billion, in yet another sign of the growing attractiveness of Czech industrial real estate to investors.

Following the expansion in Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw, Cordia has re-entered the Romanian capital with a 400 apartment development. Futureal Group’s residential subsidiary acquired 13 plots with a total area of 15,336 sqm in Bucharest where the project will be developed.

Net take-up of office spaces in Bucharest amounted to almost 80,000 sqm in the first half of the year, which means an additional 10,000 jobs, considering that companies usually allocate for each employee 8 square meters. In total, gross take-up reached 185,000 sqm in H1 2017, a small decrease when compared to first 6 month of last year (192,000 sqm), JLL reports.

CTP, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and BCR announced the closing of a credit facility totalling €75.8 million, of which €36.7 million were granted by EBRD and €39.1 million by BCR. The loan will support the expansion of CTPark Bucharest West by two new warehouses totalling over 70,000 sqm. The total investment in this expansion phase will reach €108.9 million. With a total planned 600,000 sqm lettable area, CTPark Bucharest West is designed to become the biggest, as well as fastest growing industrial park in the country and the region. BCR acted as mandated lead arranger, documentation, facility and security agent.

Total demand on the Budapest industrial property market amounted to 212,750 sqm in Q2 2017, which is the highest quarterly volume ever on record. The Budapest Research Forum published its quarterly industrial market analysis.

During H1 2017, the retail stock in Poland grew by 63,100 sqm. Shopping centres accounted for 16,600 sqm, retail parks for 21,500 sqm and standalone projects for 25,000 sqm. Recent market openings include standalone store Agata Meble (18,000 sqm) in Rzeszów, retail park Kalinka (9,700 sqm) in Kalisz as well as Tarasy Grabiszyńskie centre (8,500 sqm) in Wrocław. JLL summarised H1 2017 on the retail market in Poland.

Echo Polska Properties NV (EPP) has finalised another acquisition – a takeover of Galeria Solna in Inowrocław from a company owned by Libra Project and Acteeum Group. The value of the deal was €55.4 million.