The spectacular net take-up of 3.5 million sqm at the end of Q3 was better than any other total for the first three quarters of a year. The Polish market was also one of the driving forces behind the record demand in Europe. Advisory company JLL analyses the industrial market at the end of Q3 2021 and outlines the key trends and developments for the sector in the coming months.

CPI Property Group has announced an anticipatory mandatory takeover offer for all outstanding shares of Immofinanz AG. Shareholders are to be offered €21.20 in cash per Immofinanz share. Immofinanz said that it will review the offer in detail and will comment on it in due course in accordance with the Austrian Takeover Act.

Among four countries – Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Hungary, more than half of respondents claimed they work only from the office (52%), according to a survey conducted by Skanska's commercial development business unit in CEE. The number of such office workers increased compared to May 2021, especially in the Czech Republic and Poland. ​The preferred work model has not changed much since then, but in the Czech Republic more people want to work only from the office (22% vs 17% in May 2021).  

Panattoni Europe laid the cornerstone for the construction of a 35,000 sqm facility for FM Logistic at Panattoni Park Głogów. From these premises, the tenant will service B2C e-commerce for a leading pet store chain owned by Fressnapf Group, which operates in Poland under the international brand Maxi Zoo, carrying out orders for individual clients from Poland and Germany. Panattoni Park Głogów, which will eventually cover 20 ha, is to offer 110,000 sqm under one roof. The investment is to be BREEAM certified at the ‘Excellent’ level.

The Capital Park Group has completed the revitalisation of the Norblin Factory. The complex was granted an occupancy permit at the end of August 2021. The multifunctional project has a total area of over 65 thousand square metres. Its office space has already been fully leased. Visitors to the Norblin Factory can enjoy cultural, entertainment and dining concepts including the original KinoGram cinema, the Bio Bazar organic market, and the capital city’s largest food court Food Town.

Residential investment sectors are gaining traction across Europe, with the volume of capital targeting student accommodation, the private rented sector and purpose-built age-targeted housing continuing to rise, according to Knight Frank’s European Residential Investment Survey 2022.

Focus Estate Fund has finalized the deal on the sale of two of its retail properties in the Czech Republic to investment group DRFG – Centro Ostrava Retail Park (7 699 sqm GLA) in Ostrava and Most Retail Park (6 471 sqm GLA) in Most. The Fund acquired these assets in 2016 and 2017, respectively. As of the date of the transaction, both properties were 100% leased.

The latest report by BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland shows that in the first three quarters of this year, a record demand for warehouses was noted, amounting to almost 4.8 million sqm. The company’s analysts also point out that movement at construction sites, where work is currently underway, has also set a new record, with more than 3.7 million sqm of modern office space under construction. As in previous quarters, the development of the sector together with an increased demand for logistics spaces, have been primarily driven by a rise in e-commerce, as well as an increase of companies operating in the logistics and trade sectors.

Trei Real Estate just borrowed €27.5 million in its first financing arrangement with a Polish bank. The lending bank is “Bank Polska Kasa Opieki Spólka Akcyjna” (“Pekao”). Collateral for the loan was provided in the form of seven Vendo Parks in Poland, all of which were completed during the past twelve months. The loan has a five-year maturity. The debt capital is earmarked for further residential developments and the construction of additional Vendo Parks in Poland.

Climate change presents new challenges for the real estate sector but also an opportunity to get ahead of the competition. The topic was discussed at Balkans Property Forum 2021, Property Forum’s annual event in Belgrade.