Belgian retail group Louis Delhaize has announced the signing of a sale & lease back transaction with Austrian real estate group Supernova for its real estate portfolio in Romania. 

The commercial part of Horizon Development’s mixed-use property in downtown Budapest, Szervita Square Building was purchased by Union Investment for one of its institutional real estate funds. The parties agreed not to disclose details of the purchase price.

Following years of turmoil in retail, 2022 will bring rental growth and increased investment capital to the sector across Europe, according to Savills.

Immofinanz is following its market entry in Italy with the expansion of its Stop Shop retail park brand across the Adriatic region in line with the corporate strategy. In Croatia, plans call for an increase in the number of Stop Shops from the current level of 4 to more than 20 locations over the medium term. The completion of a newly developed Stop Shop and the expansion of an existing location is scheduled for the first half of 2022. Detailed market and location analyses indicated high demand by the Croatian population for decentralised, local supplies. This conclusion led to a decision by Immofinanz to secure 22 sites in medium-sized Croatian cities for the development of Stop Shop retail parks. The purchase price for these sites totals approximately €80 million.

A survey carried out by professional services firm EY Romania among 40 owners of office buildings shows that 75% of them kept their current rent prices despite negotiations with tenants, while the rest lowered prices. 

Kinga Nowakowska, COO and Board Member of Capital Park Group talked to Property Forum about the delivery of Norblin Factory mixed-use project in Warsaw, the impact of the pandemic on the retail market and  CPG’s upcoming investment plans.

The growing trend of local awareness and the evolution of shopping habits increased the popularity of commercial convenience stores. Retail parks and small shopping centres have grown in importance, which in result motivates developers to undertake more intense actions. Each quarter, there are more and more investors who are planning to use this format and build commercial facilities. Apart from the flexibility of space and lower rental rates, the advantage of retail parks is their proximity to customers, a key factor in today’s world, according to LBC Invest.

Warehouse occupiers are prioritising the shortening of supply chains to mitigate business risks, a trend that is likely to dominate the demand for warehouse space in Europe for the next three years, reports Savills and Tritax EuroBox plc, a leading investor in European logistics real estate. According to Savills, Poland becomes a target for larger Foreign Direct Investment facilities.

Christie & Co has advised global real estate investment manager Invesco Real Estate on the sale of the Mercure Bratislava Centrum Hotel to CPI Property Group.

Panattoni is kicking off its first investments in Hungary. On the plot purchased in Herceghalom, 30 km from the centre of Budapest, Panattoni Park Budapest West will be built with a total space of 75,500 sqm. The developer has also acquired land for City Logistics Budapest I in Törökbálint, halfway between Herceghalom and the Hungarian capital. Both investments will encompass jointly up to 100,000 sqm.