Last year has proven to be a turning point for the Romanian investment market. An increased number and more diverse group of investors started looking at individual assets and portfolios, resulting in the largest number of transactions since the beginning of the crisis. Will this upward trend continue into 2016 and 2017? We report from SEE Property Forum 2016, a conference co-organised by Portfolio Conferences and RICS, where the biggest players of the Romanian investment market came together to talk about the future. 

Invesco Real Estate (IRE) has announced the sale of Zaulek Piekna office building on behalf of one of its separate account clients in Germany to GLL Real Estate Partners GmbH.

Diófa Fund Management has announced the purchase of Europark shopping centre in Budapest from Unibail Rodamco. The acquisition is a result of a one year long and constructive cooperation between the parties and was entirely funded by own capital. Due to new investment fund restrictions it is highly possible that this was the first and last shared deal on the market.  

HB Reavis Group and HB Reavis CE REIF fund have jointly sold for €79 million a 132,000 sqm portfolio of logistics centres in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, part of the Macquarie Group, one of the largest global investment banking and diversified financial services groups in the world. The fully-occupied portfolio consists of 2 assets owned by HB Reavis Group and 2 assets held by HBR CE REIF.

Within two months OTP Real Estate Investment Fund has already added the second logistics property to its portfolio. The 35,000 sqm warehouse complex is located in South-Pest, within the Gyál Business Park, near the M5 motorway and several multinational companies. The transaction is part of OTP Real Estate Investment Fund Management’s ongoing portfolio development, therefore further transactions can be expected in 2016.

German asset and investment manager KGAL has purchased the Eiffel Square office building located in Budapest, representing the largest office transaction in Hungary in 2016 and marking the return of core investors in Hungary. 

Immofinanz today sold approx. 18.5 million BUWOG shares to SAPINDA Group, a company located in Amsterdam, London and Luxembourg. The price of EUR 19.00 per share – for a total of approx. EUR 352 million – is 3.5% higher than yesterday’s closing price of EUR 18.36. 

In 2016 commercial real estate investment activity seems to be picking up again in Southeastern Europe after a slightly weaker 2015. Although financing conditions are continuing to improve a lack of high quality product and liquidity still presents a big challenge for all countries of the region. We report from Bucharest where Portfolio Conferences and RICS have organised SEE Property Forum for the second time.

Focus Estate Fund acquired Galeria Sandomierz retail centre in Southeastern Poland from Euro Real Estate Investments LLP. The buyer was represented by Cushman & Wakefield and JLL acted on behalf of the seller.

Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality have been appointed by Cube Sp. z o.o. to sell the 4-star Mercure Sepia Hotel located in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The property was opened in December 2014 as a new hotel, combining a historical building dated late 19th century and a new building.