According to the latest Cresa Poland report, the first quarter of this year recorded very positive results for the warehouse and industrial market. Total stock at the end of the quarter exceeded 19 million sqm – an increase of 16.2% as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2019.

Local real estate developer Rock Development, controlled by a subsidiary of UniCredit Group, has launched the construction of the Avrig Park Residence residential project in Bucharest’s Bucur Obor area.

As COVID-19 restrictions are being gradually lifted, many employers are looking for solutions to enable workers to return safely to offices. However, the social distancing rules that are still in place are giving rise to many questions about protocols that should be introduced in the workplace. Savills has launched a special service and published a free guide titled Return to the Office.

On 20 May, owners Tristan Capital Partners and White Star Real Estate opened the retail part of the Elektrownia Powiśle mixed-use project in Warsaw to the public.

MVGM has taken over the management of Forum 76, the office building located in Łódź and belonging to Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital. Sharow Capital is responsible for asset management. The handover of the building took place in March, during the server lockdown measures that have been implemented in Poland. The majority of the process has had to be completed virtually.

SES Spar European Shopping Centers has opened Aleja Center in Ljubljana on 20 May 2020. The €150 million investment serves as a mixed-use shopping and leisure hotspot. The centre was completed in March, but, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the originally planned opening date had to be postponed. The first shops with focus on local supply opened at the beginning of May, and the entire centre is set into full operation on 20 May. The Planet Lollipop children's adventure world and part of Aleja SKY are scheduled to open at a later date.  

Immofinanz plans major upgrades at its myhive Haller Gardens office building in Budapest, including new services for the tenants. The owner expects demand to increase for more flexible workspace solutions and plans to alter leasing conditions accordingly.

Logistics operator DSV Solutions will take up close to 12,000 sqm at A2 Warsaw Park – the largest warehousing/manufacturing complex in the Warsaw region. The tenant will move into the building next November, after being given early access in July. DSV Solutions will use the leased space to conduct logistics operations for the fashion industry.

Retailers active in grocery, healthcare, consumer and diversified products will lead a sharp rise in demand for logistics real estate in the next two to three years as industries across the board implement lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt their supply chains to the “new normal”, Prologis predicts in a new research report.

Savills has examined the key trends set to determine future global real estate investment activity in a series of articles and interviews launched today as part of its Impacts research programme, where the international real estate advisor studies the various social, environmental, demographic and technological ‘tipping points’ immediately facing global real estate.