Office rents in Bucharest rose by up to 15.8% in the 12 months to June 2023, with the highest prices recorded in the CBD area of the city, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Immofinanz Group recorded strong growth in both rental income and operating results in the first half of 2023. Rental income rose by nearly 80% year-on-year to €258.9 million and, at €216.8 million, the results of asset management were 97.1% higher than the first half of the previous year. The results of operations and sustainable FFO 1 from the standing investment business more than doubled to €118 million and €140.9 million, respectively.

GTC Hungary and GTC S.A. have entered into a mutual employment contract termination agreement with Zoltán Fekete and János Gárdai. Both have also resigned from their seats on the Management Board of both entities. The resignation is effective as of 31 August 2023. Gyula Nagy and Zsolt Farkas were appointed Management Board members of GTC Hungary as well as the Management Board and Supervisory Board of GTC S.A., effective 31 August 2023.

Savills has appointed a CEO of Central and Eastern Europe. Current Managing Director of the Czech Republic & Slovakia, Stuart Jordan, will take on the role, having successfully developed the Czech Savills business since 2017, including its recent expansion of operations into Slovakia.

Craft, the latest project by Belgian developer Ghelamco in Katowice, has been granted an occupancy permit, thereby adding 26,700 sqm of office space to the local market.

Speedwell obtained the BREEAM Excellent Certification for the first building in The Ivy residential complex under development in northern Bucharest.

The number of photovoltaic surfaces installed on SES shopping malls is constantly increasing. This year, SES has invested in the construction of photovoltaic systems in the five Slovenian shopping centres, namely Aleja, Citypark and Center Vič in Ljubljana, Citycenter Celje and Europark Maribor. The systems, boasting a total output of 4,300 kilowatts, have been in operation since July and August. They cover around one-fifth of the centres’ electricity requirement with a 1,200-ton saving in terms of CO2 emissions. The SES climate objective to fit photovoltaic systems on at least 50 percent of its available mall roof surfaces by 2040 has therefore already been achieved or exceeded to a significant extent in Slovenia. SES is currently operating four photovoltaic systems in Austria. An additional three locations are scheduled to be equipped with these systems by the end of the year.

The volume of new mortgage loans in Romania rose by 10.2% to 2.5 billion lei (€506 million) in H1 2023 compared to the same period of last year, of which refinancing operations had a 25% share, according to a report by SVN Romania | Credit & Financial Solutions. 

The new residential project Semerínka, backed by the developer Crestyl, has received a building permit and construction will begin during the autumn. The Semerínka project in Prague's Radlice district, consisting of four blocks of varying heights, will offer 185 apartments.

Property Forum is excited to announce that the first edition of “The 50 most influential people in Poland’s real estate market” will be published on November 14th during our Future of Real Estate 2023 conference in Warsaw, co-organised by RICS.