The beginning of the year was marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine which caused various obstacles to the Slovak economy. It pushes inflation up to the highest in 17 years as also the prices of food, housing and energy. Nevertheless, the lifted lockdown measures helped boost retail sales and new office leases surpassed renegotiations for the sixth quarter in a row. Experts also saw a record quarter with substantial take-up and plunging vacancy rates, Cushman & Wakefield Slovakia presents in their new report on the Slovak economy.

According to a new report published by Newmark Polska, the first quarter of 2022 was marked in Poland’s regional city office markets by high supply levels, stable demand and a shrinking volume of space under construction. With office availability remaining high in some cities, office tenants still have many options to choose from.

Specializing in ESG policy and operational cost optimization, Westbridge Advisory has opened its new headquarters in the capital city of Poland in April 2022. Danuta Grzywacz has been entrusted with the duties of director of the headquarters located at 1 Rondo ONZ. As Country Head for Poland, she will report directly to the Managing Director of Westbridge Advisory International AG, who is Hajo Engelke. From now on. the expertise of Westbridge is available locally to investors and asset managers operating in the Polish real estate market. 

The average price of an older apartment in the Czech Republic exceeded CZK 90,000 per sqm for the first time in Q1 2022, according to a study by the real estate group European Housing Services (EHS). In Prague, an older apartment costs more than 120,000 per sqm and in Brno, it is over 90,000. Rents have returned to prices before the coronavirus crisis, the Czech News Agency quotes the EHS report.

Polish developer Scallier will open new retail parks with a combined surface of more than 40,000 sqm in Timișoara, Turda and Vaslui throughout 2022, after completing its first two projects in the country.

Inflation is putting pressure on developers to increase rents. Luckily, in some markets, such as the Czech logistics market, buoyant demand is helping drive rental growth. Jakub Kodr, Head of Business Development at CTP Czech Republic talked to Property Forum about the company’s expansion plans, dealing with inflation and changing demand dynamics.

Skanska has sold the Nowy Rynek D office building in Poznań, Poland, to Eastnine AB, a Swedish real estate company focused on modern and sustainable office and logistics properties. The project is designed and built-in line with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. It is the first transaction between the two parties in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Between the pandemic, the war, rising prices and increasingly frequent warnings of recession — these are the conditions in which the retail sector operated in the first quarter of 2022. The authors of the cyclical report from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland point out, among others: continued strengthening of the position of discount store chains and growing interest in facilities with a high potential for modernization, expansion and repositioning.

From now on property management, renting and legal services at CPI Hungary are performed by the employees of the company in all retail portfolios.

The entire development cost of logistics projects is increasing substantially and it will continue to do so, says Robert Dobrzycki, CEO & Co-Owner of Panattoni. He talked to Property Forum at MIPIM about uncertainties and the dynamic growth of the logistics sector in CEE.