Amid technological advances, growing client demands, legal regulations and the need to urgently respond to economic developments, the commercial real estate market is increasingly being influenced by AI-based solutions. According to the latest report from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland, sophisticated technological solutions are becoming - and will continue to be - key at all stages, from project planning and construction to tenant screening, property and energy management, and even investment.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €46.8 million to CIMEX Group, a hospitality operator in Czechia. The EBRD financing is being provided as part of a €140.4 million syndicated loan facility with UniCredit Bank and Raiffeisenbank.

Investors view the logistics sector with optimism and, to a lesser extent, retail over the next 12 months, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox study conducted among the most important investors and developers in Romania.

B+N Referencia Zrt., present in eight CEE-based markets, has signed an agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Koberl Group, the leading facility management and building services provider in Germany. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2025. 

According to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield, office demand across Poland’s office markets is expected to remain stable in the near future, on a par with the levels recorded in 2022-2023, with vacancy rates anticipated to edge down in both Warsaw and regional cities amid gradual market stabilisation. Office development activity is likely to remain subdued in the coming years, creating new opportunities for office stock refurbishment. Despite this, the Polish market offers some of the finest-quality office spaces in Europe. For example, Cushman & Wakefield reveals that the percentage of office stock in Warsaw at risk of becoming obsolete by 2030 is low, at 40%. By comparison, the average for seven key Western European markets (Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Stockholm) is nearly twice as high, at 80%.

Bellemonde, the developer of a residential and villa complex near Bucharest, has signed a partnership with Hype Project, the premium architecture and interior design studio founded by architect Victor Grosu. 

Altex Romania retailer has purchased DIY network Brico Dépôt Romania from Kingfisher in a deal worth €70 million. The closing is expected to take place in H1 2025. 

The demand for industrial spaces in CEE is moderating after a record year, with vacancy rates having slightly increased but still at a healthy level. The shift in demand patterns has included larger deals and tenant diversification. Despite challenges, logistics is an attractive asset class with yields comparable to offices and retail, revealed the discussion at CEE Property Forum 2024 in Vienna, chaired by Martin Polák, Managing Director CEE at GARBE Industrial Real Estate.

The investment group DRFG has bought the Signum Work Station office building in Warsaw, with a leasable area of ​​over 32,500 sqm, reports E15.cz.

The biggest growth in Eastern Europe is foreseen in Bulgaria going into 2025, while the rest of the countries are projected to make side moves in the coming years, according to a report by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).