The Q4 2020 results of the RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor continue to point to a challenging backdrop across Europe. Both the office and retail sectors remain under significant pressure, with demand still falling sharply amid the difficult economic climate induced by the pandemic. On a brighter note, supported by structural tailwinds, the industrial sector continues to defy this downbeat overall assessment, prompting respondents to upgrade expectations for rental and capital value growth.

A quarter of all modern warehouse and industrial space in Poland was transacted in 2020, says real estate advisory firm Savills in its latest report. Despite the pandemic, take-up hit record levels last year, reaching more than 5 million sqm, while Poland’s total logistics stock surpassed the 20 million sqm mark.

Generation Park Y, the tallest Skanska office building in this part of Europe, located at Rondo Daszyńskiego in Warsaw, has just received the occupancy permit. According to the developer, this 140-meter-high building is the greenest skyscraper in the capital and  it will be the new headquarters of PZU Group providing workplaces for a few thousands of the company's employees.

In 2020, 28,208 new dwellings were built in Hungary, 34% more than a year earlier, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said. The annual figure is an 11-year high. Meanwhile, based on issued dwelling construction permits and simple declarations, the number of homes to be built decreased by 36% compared to 2019 to 22,556.

Swedish furniture group Ikea is set to open its first store in Slovenia in Ljubljana today. To ensure a safe shopping experience and avert long queues in front of the store, Ikea has mandated advanced bookings for in-person shopping in the first weeks following the opening. The number of visitors is capped at 700 with Ikea estimating that they will spend roughly two hours on average browsing around the store.

The industrial segment has stood out as the most resilient sector to the crisis and the markets Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria present a huge opportunity for further growth. Boško Tomašević MRICS, Managing Director SEE at CBRE talked to Property Forum about investment market expectations and shared the company’s expansion plans for the Balkans region.

Accolade published its results for 2020. Last year saw the expansion of the portfolio area by 30%, almost 400 new qualified investors and a year-on-year return of 10,02%. The biggest industrial real estate fund in the Czech Republic now owns a total of 16 industrial parks in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany with an area of 936,304 sqm.1,200 investors benefit from the rental income which was increased by 35%, in 2020.

Trammell Crow Company (TCC), one of the largest real estate development companies in the U.S., announced the launch of logistics development capabilities in Europe.

Property Forum is excited to announce that we will be participating as a Channel Partner at the second edition Unissu’s upcoming digital event RE:Connect and are now looking for proptechs and real estate professional interested in the future of real estate to join us as conference participants for free.

Panattoni has launched its latest city logistics project in Warsaw. The 18,000 sqm City Logistics Warsaw VI park will be in the city’s industrial neighbourhood. The centre is situated to serve Warsaw’s districts of Praga and Śródmieście – the central part of the city.