Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments at W. P. Carey, talked to Property Forum about the environment for property transactions in 2023 and the company’s focus on mission-critical projects in its portfolio.

CTP is constructing a brand-new office building in the premium office complex Vlněna, located on a former Brno brownfield site. It aspires to be the most modern building of this type in Central Europe. This 61-metre-high glass building will be located in the centre of the Moravian metropolis, will be completed by mid-2024 and will cost CZK 600 million (€24.65 million), the developer announced.

Zeitgeist Asset Management continues the complete reconstruction of the almost 100-year-old Dunaj Palace on Národní třída in the centre of Prague. The aim is to return the building to its original splendour and refinement from the 1920s. According to the developer, the spirit of the time in which the building was built will be preserved, but the building will be equipped with the most modern technologies of today. The developer announced that the building will be ready for occupation at the end of 2023.

The Czech industrial market has proven that it is resilient to unfavourable economic factors and therefore it will logically remain a popular asset class that is not at risk of decline. Pavel Sovička, Managing Director of Panattoni in the Czech Republic talked to Property Forum about nearshoring, rising construction costs, changing tenant demand and all other factors that are contributing to rental growth.

Indotek Group has appointed an International Sales Director to support the company's growing international presence. The position will be held by András Kovács, the company's current Sales Director, who will continue to oversee sales in Hungary. Under the appointment, the specialist will be responsible for international office (non-retail), warehouse and logistics real estate sales and leasing activities. The new position was necessitated by the dynamic growth of the company's international real estate portfolio and ambitious expansion plans.

Handing over 1,650 apartments for sale and rent to customers, maintaining 100% of the lease level in all completed Resi4Rent buildings, increasing the turnover of Libero in Katowice and Galeria Młociny in Warsaw – this is a summary of the Echo-Archicom Group's operating activities in three quarters of 2022. During this time, the Group generated PLN 125 million in net profit.

Mitiska REIM has announced the opening of a new retail centre development in the Polish city of Kołobrzeg. Developed in a joint venture with local partner Karuzela Holding and designed to achieve a “Very Good” score on the BREEAM in-use scale, this is the third retail development project opened by Mitiska REIM and Karuzela Holding in Poland this year. Financing for the new retail centre was provided by AION and mBank.

BTS warehouses are very popular with logistics companies and retailers, and e-commerce in particular, where time is of the essence. That’s why locations with convenient transport connections and proximity to motorways or expressways are clearly favoured. Jakub Kurek, Head of Industrial and Warehouse at Newmark Polska described the advantages and challenges of BTS facilities in the warehouse market.

Panattoni takes on another development for ESA Logistika in the Radzymin area. One of the leading logistics operators in the CEE region is to take up 30,000 sqm from the beginning of 2023.

GTC announced that Ziv Gigi has been promoted to Executive Director for the Southeast Europe region. In his new role, he will be responsible for all operations of the office sector in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Croatia. He will be in charge of executing the company's strategy and development plan, as well as all of its operational activities, including leasing and asset management. Ziv Gigi’s promotion is part of the company’s greater transformation to strengthen its country leadership to be more responsive to opportunities and challenges in local markets.