With the ease of travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, companies begin to resume their activity in the headquarters located in office buildings, but with only 40% of employees in a first phase, according to a survey of Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Zeitraum, a specialist in student rental housing, has entered into a three-year contract with the Anglo-American University in Prague (AAU), guaranteeing 120 beds for its students in the new academic year 2020/2021. The AAU is one of 20 universities with which Zeitraum cooperates and provides accommodation for the AAU’s students on its four newly reconstructed campuses in Prague. More than 60% of university students remained accommodated despite the difficult situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing their studies online.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €125 million loan with Umicore, a Belgian-based global materials technology and recycling group, to finance part of the greenfield production facility for cathode materials in Nysa, Southwestern Poland. The cathode materials will be supplied to battery manufacturers of high-tech lithium-ion batteries that are primarily used in electric vehicles. 

Hypermarket chain Albert has sold Obchodní centrum Čestlice to HSTN Holding, a private investment platform founded in 2017 by the founders of Sportisimo. The sale was facilitated by Cushman & Wakefield.

Shopping centres in Romania have reopened on June 15. In total, investments in all equipment, supplies and staff needed to ensure compliance with the safety and social distancing measures that are still needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. exceed €500,000 for large shopping centres, according to Colliers International consultants. Shoppers will gradually resume their pre-pandemic habits and traffic in the malls could return to normal during the Christmas season.

Radisson Hotel Group announced the opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sopot and the Radisson Hotel Szklarska Poręba, bringing its portfolio to 14 properties in operation in Poland.

Savills has been appointed as sole office and retail space letting agent for Giant Office, a newly-completed office development in Poznań.

Aviv Park Zrenjanin, a 25,000 sqm open-air shopping centre in the Vojvodina region of Serbia, has officially started operating under the management of BIG Shopping Centers. The new operator acquired the building earlier this year.

Cyprus-based real estate developer Everty Group intends to invest up to €100 million in Bulgaria during the next four years. The announcement follows the group's first major investment in Bulgaria, the acquisition of the 40,000 sqm Perform Business Centre in central Sofia back in 2019.

Neinver, an investor, developer and operator in the European outlet centre industry and the largest operator in Spain and Poland, is certifying the COVID-19 hygiene and safety protocols and procedures implemented in the 20 centres it manages in five European countries. Neinver has reached an agreement with SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, to validate its safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19 in the centres it operates in Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland.