The first quarter of 2021 saw record low vacancies in the greater Prague region, affirming consistent high interest in industrial premises in premium locations. High demand is pushing lease prices upwards, with lease prices having grown by 25 % per sqm year-on-year within the Prague cadastral district, for example. The Czech industrial real estate market is being impeded by drawn-out approval processes and a lack of new options in areas with the greatest demand.

According to “Occupier Insight – Industrial and Warehouse Market Q1 2021”, a report prepared by Cresa, gross industrial and warehouse take-up climbed to 1.6 million sqm in the first quarter of this year, representing an increase of 51% compared to the first three months of last year. This result accounts for 46% of the annual average for the last five years and marks a record quarter in terms of leasing activity.

VGP has launched construction of the fifth hall in its logistic park VGP Park Pilsen, located in an industrial part of the city’s Bručná quarter. The park is adjacent to the E49 and has access to the D5 motorway. On a land of about 10 hectares, VGP offers nearly 50,000 sqm of lettable area suitable for light manufacturing, logistics and accompanying commercial activities. Tenants of the new warehouse will be DHL Express, leasing 1,113 sqm, as well as Verhoek Europe with 2,170 sqm of logistics space.

Logistics parks offering space that can be flexibly tailored to the needs of smaller tenants are increasingly high on the agenda of industrial developers, especially on the Warsaw market, according to Tomasz Bulej, Junior Negotiator at  Cushman & Wakefield.

Delivery firm Cargus has opened a new warehouse in Buzău, following an investment of €500,000, which will support its growing business volumes. 

The 7R City Park Poznań complex will house the first European plant of the Ningbo Tuopu Group, a Chinese automotive company. Tuopu cooperates with global brands from the automotive sector, such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Ford, Geely and General Motors. The Poznań factory, with an area of over 30 000 sqm, will produce components for electric cars. It will employ 450 people.

Panattoni is entering a new market. The company has announced the opening of an office in Hungary, headed by László Kemenes. He will be responsible for the development of speculative and big-box projects in Hungary, from the site acquisition and investment preparation, through to the commercialisation of the projects and their transfer to their eventual tenants. The developer already has two projects secured in the Budapest market.

Colliers Czech Republic secured the expansion of the Tchibo distribution centre in the Panattoni Park Cheb industrial zone, which was agreed upon by the developer Panattoni and Tchibo in the first quarter of 2021. The warehouse thus ranked second behind the Amazon distribution centre at Panattoni Park Prague Airport near Dobroviz in Central Bohemia. The modern hall is financed and the Cheb industrial zone is owned by Accolade.

Industrial developer P3 is preparing the construction of a modern industrial park in Myslinka, located about 15 km from the centre of Pilsen, which will offer 64,000 sqm of space to potential tenants. Construction of the first buildings is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year. A total of five buildings will provide units ranging from 3,000 sqm to 30,000 sqm.

The development of the industrial and logistics market remains strong in 2021 in terms of leasing transactions and deliveries of new projects. Demand for new spaces across Romania is driven by automotive and retail players.