The Eiffel Square office building has been qualified Excellent in the BREEAM asset performance appraisal method in the In-Use Asset category. Under BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability appraisal method, the Class A+ Eiffel Square Office Building has been certified as a building operating in an outstandingly environment-conscious manner.

By the end of 2017, total retail stock in the Warsaw agglomeration amounted to 1.76 million sqm, of which shopping centres accounted for 1.2 million sqm. Other formats include retail parks (276,000 sqm), standalone retail objects (212,000 sqm) and outlet centres (57,000 sqm). Approximately 85,000 sqm of space was delivered to the Warsaw retail market last year with the largest completed object being Galeria Północna (64,000 sqm). Furthermore, the saturation level in the shopping centre format totalled 472 sqm / 1,000 inhabitants and was the third lowest rate among the eight major metropolitan areas nationwide. JLL summarised 2017 on the retail market in the Warsaw agglomeration.

M7 Real Estate, a pan-European real estate investor and specialist asset manager, has agreed on a number of transactions as part of its proactive asset management programme on behalf of Vector Parks. Vector Parks comprises a portfolio of industrial and office assets located in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Over the last six months, M7 has completed six new lettings and four renewals totalling over 20,500 sqm with predominantly anchor tenants.

GTC closed 2017 with a €105 million development profit. The company acquired Belgrade Business Center (17,700 sqm) in September 2017 and the Cascade office building (4,200 sqm) in Bucharest in August 2017 for a total sum of €46 million. GTC presented its 2017 financial results.

In March 2018, Business Link and Skanska jointly launched a new business space located in the centre of Krakow. The High5ive office complex provides nearly 4,000 sqm of space, offering 140 offices, 24 co-working areas and 5 conference rooms. The project, following investments in Warsaw and Poznan, is another flexible office space opened jointly by Business Link and Skanska.

REICO investiční společnost České spořitelny, a.s. has acquired, on behalf of the ČS nemovitostní fond, their first prime industrial asset in Slovakia from developer and investor Invest4SEE Investment Holding GmbH. JLL advised REICO IS ČS on their first industrial acquisition in Slovakia with a transaction value of €38.9 million.

CTP is significantly expanding on the Hungarian market, announcing two new land acquisitions in strategic locations. The first plot of the total of 30 hectares investment is located in Biatorbágy next to the M1 highway, the second land plot is near Dunaharaszti. These acquisitions are a result of CTP’s ambitious expansion plan in the country, which is the primary task of new Country Manager Rudolf Nemes.

Although nearly 120,000 square meters of new industrial / logistics space was delivered to the Budapest market in 2017 which is almost double of the figure delivered in 2016. It may still occur that by the end of the year the available warehouse units with 5,000 sqm+ space will disappear from the Budapest market and its surrounding area, according to Colliers International's latest industrial property market report.

Hungarian investor and developer Wing has acquired two office buildings in Sofia, Bulgaria for a total of €9.85 million. The DXC Office Building has 8,000 sqm GLA, while the BULMAG Office Building offers 770 sqm of leasable space.

In Romania, the peak of the real estate cycle is often delayed compared to other countries in the region and market dynamics don’t allow for a true warm up. Ana Dumitrache, Head of Investment Properties at CBRE Romania shared her expectations for the market.