The scale and number of transactions in storage real estate in Central and Eastern Europe makes it one of the fastest-growing markets on the old continent. Investors generally are following the growing demand for warehouse space resulting, among other things, from the growing role of e-commerce. At the same time, the strategic location on many north-south and east-west international routes makes the CEE region of Europe a highly desirable destination for warehouse locations. It is one reason why this sector is the only real estate segment currently experiencing year-on-year growth.

Ghelamco has begun the construction of the Craft office building in the centre of Katowice, near the Silesia City Center shopping centre.

The HopStop convenience retail park in Siedlce has been sold by Polish developer Katharsis Development to British investor LCP Properties. The seller was represented by Avison Young investment team throughout the transaction.

Expo Market Doraly, one of Romania’s largest shopping parks specialized in home items and food products, has inaugurated a new building with an area of 9,200 sqm, following a €6 million investment.

Austrian retail investor Supernova has acquired the Jupiter City shopping centre in the Romanian city of Pitești from local company Mall Retail Rom, owned by Israeli concern Jupiter Group. The value of the transaction hasn't been disclosed, but the transaction was said to be "distressed" with a price estimated to be below €20 million.

The third quarter in Poland’s industrial sector saw a fairly positive sentiment among tenants and developers. At the end of September, the country was the second most active market in Europe in terms of net demand and the amount of space delivered. Warehouse investments in Poland were approximately €2.2 billion between January and November, setting an all-time annual record.JLL summarised the situation on the Polish industrial market at the end of Q3 2020.

Panattoni has been awarded four BREEAM certificates with ratings of 'Very Good' for its latest buildings. Each has passed a multi-criteria assessment of their impact on the environment. The buildings come from four separate projects: Panattoni Park Gorzów Wielkopolski, Panattoni Central European Logistics Hub, Panattoni BTS Amazon Łódź and Panattoni Warsaw Janki South. In this year alone, Panattoni has already been awarded certificates with ratings of 'Very Good' for over 520,400 sqm of space.

According to Savills latest research, total property investment activity in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania for Q1-Q3 2020 was €7.6 billion, the third-highest volume on record, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. Total investment volumes by year-end are forecast to surpass €10 billion, which would be in line with the five-year average.

While the first results show that the GDP grew by 5.2% q-o-q in Q3 in the Czech Republic, the second wave of COVID-19 has forced the government to re-impose strict containment measures to curb the spread of the virus. Retail sales grew during the summer as they reached pre-pandemic levels. However, consumer confidence fell for a second consecutive month in September, while a worsening labour market outlook and a resurgence of new infections will mean households keep more precautionary savings as well as denting income. On the other hand, industrial production resumed growth in September and is likely to underpin economic growth as it is less exposed to the pandemic. Cushman & Wakefield summarised the situation in each market segment.

Polish developer Capital Park has concluded a preliminary agreement for the purchase of two plots in Gdańsk with a total area of 1.3 ha on the Polski Hak part of Gdańsk’s port area. At the site, Capital Park is planning a residential development with retail and services functions, as well as public recreational space. The seller and the transaction price have not been disclosed.