Česká spořitelna has started to build affordable apartments with low rents for employees that cities lack. The first such apartment buildings with 254 flats are already taking shape in Prague 9, built by a subsidiary of the bank DBČS with the developer Finep for CZK 1 billion (€42.7 million). The bank plans to build a total of 1,000 flats by 2026. The bank also wants to cooperate with the Czech government to finance more flats through EU funds and loans from the European Investment Bank, DBČS subsidiary CEO Marek Blaha told the press.

Despite significantly lower prices than in the capital, markets for offices in Brno and Ostrava are struggling with rising vacancies. Other regional markets, however, now offer opportunities for developers, investors or serviced office providers, thanks to the potential of the Hub & Spoke concept. The latter centres around a strategy where companies reduce the size of the main office and then supplement it with smaller spaces in different locations. Alongside that, there is the Flex & Core office space usage concept, which combines a smaller main office with a membership of one or more co-working centres. These options to curb office vacancies are mentioned in a recent survey by Colliers.

MLP Group has signed a new financing agreement with BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., whereby the Bank has committed over €19.7 million. The facility will be used to finance and partially refinance the MLP Czeladź project with a target leasable area of approximately 68,000 sqm. The Kycia Legal law firm advised on the transaction.

Regesta S.A., a specialist provider of logistics services, has leased 33,000 sqm in one of the two warehouses of Panattoni Park Ruda Śląska V. The tenant was advised on the choice of the location and during lease negotiations by real estate advisory firm Newmark Polska.

CTP acquired an industrial complex from Bluehouse Capital earlier this year on a plot of land with a total area of 330,000 sqm in the city district of Ostrava - Hrušov. In addition to the existing first phase of 18,000 sqm, which already has three tenants, the developer plans to build another 76,000 sqm of industrial/logistics space. The warehouse will be built in the revitalized area of the former chemical plants with a total area of 94,000 sqm and will become the largest in the Czech CTP portfolio.

In 1.5 years, 275 modular bathrooms have been installed in YIT apartments in the Czech Republic. The developer is expanding the use of prefabrication to other building elements. By incorporating this technology, the company plans to not only improve the quality of its residential projects but also speed up their implementation. At the same time, it expects to have less demand for labour, which is in short supply. In addition to bathrooms, the developer is now also using modular manufacturing for structural elements. The Czech branch of YIT is following in the footsteps of its parent company in Finland, which has been building in this way since the 1970s, YIT told the press.

With the acquisition of Sofia Office Center, strategically located on the Tsarigradsko Shose – the city’s largest boulevard, international real estate investor Everty is expanding towards Sofia’s southeastern quadrant.

Prague's famous brutalist-style Intercontinental Hotel is undergoing a complete renovation. After the reconstruction, the hotel will operate with sustainability principles and will become part of the Fairmont chain, the daily E15.cz reports without mentioning the price of the planned reconstruction.

Properties in Sofia rank relatively cheap compared to other major cities in Europe. The Bulgarian capital is taking the last place in rankings by average price and the market has opportunities to grow. The opinion was expressed by Thomas Stanishev, Director of Galardo Real Estate, in an interview for the show "Club Investor'' of Bloomberg TV Bulgaria  

pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has provided a €117 million investment loan facility to a logistics fund managed by GLP Capital Partners (GCP). The fund will utilise the proceeds for the refinancing of the development of a logistics portfolio in Poland and the Czech Republic. pbb acted as arranger and sole lender under the facility.