Arkadiusz Rudzki, Executive Vice President, Leasing & Sales for Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE, talked to Property Forum about the duration of the supply gap in the Warsaw office market, the current interests of investment funds and Skanska’s Scandinavian approach to implementing the ESG principles.

According to the newest report by Newmark Polska, in the third quarter of 2023, office take-up in Poland’s regional city office markets reached nearly 200,000 sqm, while the development pipeline was below 400,000 sqm. High vacancy rates in existing office buildings mean that tenants have a wide choice of options. Both developers and tenants remain focused on ESG, functionality, flexibility and optimisation of office usage and lease costs.

GLP has started construction of a new warehouse in Niepołomice near Kraków. The sole tenant of GLP Kraków III Logistics Centre will be MCG EastBridge, a new brand from the Maszoński Logistic portfolio, marking the largest lease transaction in terms of square footage on the Polish warehouse market in H1 2023. 

Food retailer Ahold Delhaize, the owner of the Mega Image supermarket chain in Romania, has purchased the Profi supermarket chain from MidEuropa private equity fund, in a deal worth €1.3 billion.

A CZK 4 billion (€162 million) real estate deal is set to take place in the Czech Republic in 2024, which will undoubtedly be one of the biggest in the next year. Development group Portin is set to sell a set of around ten retail parks whose main tenants include Billa, Penny Market, DM Drogerie and Datart, writes online daily e15.cz. 

A new premium-quality privately-owned student residence has been launched as part of the Student Depot chain. Offering a total of 540 rooms and located at the junction of Modzelewskiego Street and Wilanowska Avenue in Warsaw, the facility was constructed on a turnkey basis by Kajima Poland. 

Trei Real Estate GmbH has obtained the building permit for its first rental housing development in Poland. Named UP2U and consisting of three buildings, the development will create a total of 460 one- to three-room apartments with a combined floor area of around 20,000 sqm in the immediate vicinity of the town centre of Poznań. 

The City Point office building in Prague 4 - Pankrác is changing hands. It is being transferred from the hands of the investment company Amundi Czech Republic to the ownership of the domestic operator of coworking spaces and serviced offices WorkLounge. Mint Investments Group was the investment advisor that handled the entire transaction for Amundi. Agents from real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield and law firm Havel & Partners also participated in the deal. The transaction was worth more than CZK 450 million (€18.25 million). 

The capital city will buy the Czech Post building in Na Strži Street in Prague 4 for CZK 425 million (€17.3 million). The city wants to sign the contract with the post office as soon as possible, said councillor Adam Zábranský (Piráti). All 57 councillors present supported the purchase. The building is a seven-storey building from 1984 with adjacent land, writes ČTK.

Steffen Szeidl, CEO of Drees & Sommer, spoke with Property Forum at Expo Real about the challenges of property development and the potential for business growth in Europe. He cites the electrification of the economy and the upgrade of the existing stock of buildings as new growth avenues for Europe.