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.

The first quarter of 2016 in the Czech Republic was characterized by a lack of logistics and industrial space, demand for office space and high volume of investment into real estate. Colliers International released its latest report summarizing trends on the investment, office and industrial markets.

Globalworth Real Estate Investments has signed an agreement to offer real estate secured bonds worth a total of 180 million euros. 150 million euros will be subscribed by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and the remaining 30 million euros by funds managed by Cairn Capital (“Cairn”). 

Warsaw-based developer Echo Investment has concluded two loan agreements worth over EUR 317 million with Berlin Hyp, ING Bank Śląski and Helaba – Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen. These investment loans will be used to refinance four office and seven retail projects.

Acting in its capacity as advisor for a German depositary bank, who is currently administrating the German Special-AIF UBS (D) Sector 3 Real Estate Europe, UBS Real Estate GmbH has sold the Nova Praga office building in Warsaw to Mazovia Capital. Cushman & Wakefield and Magnusson Law represented the vendor in the transaction. The building will now be known as Mazovia Plaza.

According to Cushman & Wakefield, strong investment activity in the core Central European markets of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania continued in the first quarter of 2016, with EUR 1.4 billion invested. The slight decrease in transaction volume of 5% compared to the corresponding period of 2015 was smaller than the 14% fall recorded for Europe overall. Q1 activity was also above the long-run average of EUR 1.2 billion since 2007.

Investment into Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (excluding Russia) for Q1 2016 registered a slight decrease (6%) compared to the same period of last year, reaching €1.84 billion, CBRE’s research shows. Expectations are that for the entire year, investment volumes will reach and exceed the record volumes of 2015, with all CEE countries expected to perform strongly. 

GTC has acquired two buildings in Bucharest, Premium Plaza and Premium Point. The two modern A-class office buildings in the capital’s CBD will increase GTC’s Romanian portfolio by 15,000 square metres of net leasable area.