The first six months of 2018 haven’t been the strongest for the Hungarian investment market but the current pipeline of deals leaves much room for optimism regarding the remaining months of the year. Benjamin Perez-Ellischewitz MRICS, Regional Director and Head of Capital Markets Hungary at JLL talked to us about new investments, rising asset classes and game-changing technologies. 

Before 2016 nearly all transactions related to the acquisition of property in Poland were conducted in the form of asset deals. By now, share deals have become a popular alternative. Sylwia Toczyska, Director of Client Services at Vistra Poland talked to Property Forum about the current structure of transactions concluded in Poland.

If an architect plans a building now, that building will stand for at least 50 years. Architects have to keep this in mind, and take into account climate change scenarios as well as research and think with the mindset of the next generation. Gergely Paulinyi and András Reith, Founding Partners of Budapest-based architecture firm Paulinyi-Reith & Partners talked to Property Forum about branding, future goals and sustainability.

The CEE investment market continues to perform well in 2018 but investors are becoming increasingly cautious, driven by rising interest rates and the changing attractiveness of certain asset classes. Mike Atwell, Head of Capital Markets Czech Republic and Lead Director CEE at JLL talked to Property Forum about investor sentiment, financing and transparency.

After the record-breaking year of 2017, the student housing asset class still enjoys development and increased interest from investors. Michal Malecka, Head of Business Development at StudentMarketing talked to Property Forum about the growing popularity of the student housing asset class in Europe.

2017 was an exceptional year for Romania, but the market looks a bit stagnant right now. Răzvan Gheorghiu-Testa FRICS, Partner and Head of the Real Estate Practice Group at Ţuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii talked to Property Forum about market dynamics, legal challenges and the impacts of technology.

Retailers and shopping centre operators are starting to adapt their business models to the changing consumer behaviour. For now, it seems that retailers that are able to create a true omnichannel approach are outperforming their competitors. Walter Wolfler, Senior Director, Head of Retail Austria & CEE at CBRE talked to Property Forum about the future of retail.

Alternative investment products have been slowly growing in popularity for some time now in CEE. As clients look for new types of services from advisory firms, this trend is here to stay. Jonathan Hallett MRICS, Executive Partner | Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Cushman & Wakefield talked to Property Forum about business lines, technology and competition.

One of the most active developers of Prague’s office market is ready to embrace the digital transformation and is actively looking at new projects and new locations. Alexandra Tomášková, Managing Director of Skanska Property Czech Republic talked to Property Forum about changing tenant needs, digitisation and market expectations.

One of the most active industrial and logistics developers of the region has announced major expansion plans for Hungary this year. CTP hopes to increase the value of its Hungarian portfolio to €320 million by the end of 2018 from the current €250 million. Rudolf Nemes, CTP’s Country Manager for Hungary talked about changing tenant needs and challenges on the labour market.