As we are seeing a slowing down of new office projects across Budapest and the region, occupancy has emerged as ‘king’, while energy efficiency has become the number one priority for both landlords and tenants. Property Forum asked Jake Lodge, Principal at Avison Young in Hungary about his view on the major changes in the local office market and the way landlords and tenants try to overcome mounting difficulties.

Czech investor Investika has quickly become one of the largest players in the local market and has already expanded internationally. The company is currently preparing two transactions in Warsaw and has its sights set on other EU countries, says Petr Čížek, CEO of Investika, in an interview with Property Forum.

Bidrento is an Estonian-based developer of software for landlords and property management companies to easily manage residential rentals, co-living, student housing and commercial real estate portfolios. Taavo Annus, CEO of the company talked to Property Forum about the latest trends in proptech development, war-related challenges and plans for the new year.

Ana Nekhamkin, Vice President of Real Estate and Projects and Michał Kwinta, City Lead Poland at Mindspace talked to Property Forum about their second office in Warsaw, the development of the flex office sector and the potential effects of high inflation.

Angelika Cieślowska, President of the Management Board of KB DORACO, one of the largest Polish construction companies, talked to Property Forum about the impact of the war in Ukraine on the construction industry, high prices of energy and raw materials and the possible scenarios of market development.

Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments at W. P. Carey, talked to Property Forum about the environment for property transactions in 2023 and the company’s focus on mission-critical projects in its portfolio.

The Czech industrial market has proven that it is resilient to unfavourable economic factors and therefore it will logically remain a popular asset class that is not at risk of decline. Pavel Sovička, Managing Director of Panattoni in the Czech Republic talked to Property Forum about nearshoring, rising construction costs, changing tenant demand and all other factors that are contributing to rental growth.

Marius Persenea, COO of Romanian developer Iulius, spoke with Property Forum about the macroeconomic picture of the country going into 2023 and the potential of regional cities to attract property investments on the medium and long term.

Hotels are under extreme pressure across Europe and there is no investors’ rush to put money in these assets under the current tough economic conditions. Property Forum asked Péter Takács, Investment Director at Newmark VLK Hungary about the way out from this crisis and the chances of local mid-size investors in the CEE region.

Consumer behaviour is changing and shoppertainment is a big opportunity to continue to generate engagement and drive loyalty. Outlet centres can offer a wide range of branded goods and a variety of excitement for the whole family in our turbulent times, Csaba Imre, Country Manager of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, the operator of Premier Outlet Centre in Biatorbágy, Hungary explains in our latest interview.