The pandemic has caused a lot of change on the market but these changes can easily be viewed as an opportunity for further growth as Jonathan Hallett, Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Cushman & Wakefield demonstrates. He talked to Property Forum about the results of the last year and shared his expectations for the future of work and the CEE advisory market.

Romania's Impact Contractor & Developer says it recorded sales of RON 39.3 million (€7.9 million) in the first quarter of 2021, up 71% year-on-year, due to higher demand in the residential market. 

At the end of April 2021 Adgar Poland bought the building of PDT Wola. With an area of almost 10 thousand square meters, the structure is located in the middle of the historical Wola and for years has been one of the most important points on the architectural map of the district. Part of the building will be destined for the Brain Embassy – providing coworking space, offices, private spaces for companies, and conference and training rooms.

Panattoni has leased 10,500 sqm to Well Pack in the City Logistics Łódź II warehouse park. The space will be used by the logistics operator for the machine washing and disinfection of reusable food containers for supermarket chains. The tenant will move into its new premises in July, from where it will carry out its main operations.

According to AXI Immo, the Polish industrial market remains in great form. The sector is still attractive in the eyes of investors, and the boom in the e-commerce industry continues to fuel occupier demand. Take-up in Q1 2021 was 59% higher than in the same period last year, at 1.6m sqm. In addition, new sources of financing and greater developer confidence resulted in an increase in the amount of space under construction, which at the end of March 2021 reached 2.3m sqm (+11% y/y). 

Real estate consultancy Colliers is testing the first intelligent software robot dedicated to the real estate industry in Romania. The company is using the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology developed by UiPath.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has successfully subscribed to a €24.7 million ticket as part of an inaugural five-year €300 million green bond issuance by MAS Securities BV. The firm is wholly owned by MAS Real Estate Inc., an investor and operator of predominantly retail real estate assets that focuses on CEE.

The first quarter of 2021 saw record low vacancies in the greater Prague region, affirming consistent high interest in industrial premises in premium locations. High demand is pushing lease prices upwards, with lease prices having grown by 25 % per sqm year-on-year within the Prague cadastral district, for example. The Czech industrial real estate market is being impeded by drawn-out approval processes and a lack of new options in areas with the greatest demand.

Impact Developer & Contractor will start the development of its first residential projects in Iași, eastern Romania, in the second half of this year. 

Radisson Hotel Group has announced a €24 million investment program in Radisson Blu Bucharest Hotel, owned by Revetas Capital and Cerberus Capital Management, that will include the redesign of common spaces and the increase of the room count.