At the end of the H1 the total supply in the nine major markets in Poland reached 8.6 million sqm. Developers completed a record amount of modern office space – almost 572,000 sqm. Over 1.4 million sqm of office space is under construction and the capital accounts for 609,000 sqm of new offices. The vacancy rate for Poland is 13.4 percent according to Colliers’ report „Market insights | Office market H1 2016“.

With two companies recently signing a lease agreement in Building E, the fifth building in Krakow office complex Bonarka for Business (B4B) has reached 100% occupancy level. Gerda Broker Sp. z o.o. leases 301,91 sqm GLA on the ground floor of Building E, while Skelia Poland Sp. z o.o. takes 511,21 sqm GLA on the 4th floor. B4B adds approx. 10 000 sqm GLA new office space to Krakow’s office market each year and TriGranit, the developer of the B4B buildings plans to go on with this trend. 

Vacancy rates reached a record low level on the Budapest office market as a result of modest development activity and strong demand from tenants. The Budapest Research Forum has published its quarterly office market analysis.

Immofinanz has signed several lease agreements since the beginning of the calendar year 2016 accounting for approximately 40,000 sqm of its Hungarian portfolio. Of this figure, prolongation of leases accounts for more than 25,500 sqm, and new and expanded contracts sum up at 14,500 sqm.

Global financial services firm Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) has signed a lease for an additional 7,500 square meters of office space in the Brown Brothers Harriman building at Kraków’s Orange Office Park. Now in Phase III of its building expansion, BBH will occupy over 14,500 square meters. Cushman & Wakefield represented BBH in the negotiations. Wardyński & Partners provided legal advice.

The total modern office stock in Warsaw reached 4.75 million sqm at the end of Q1 2016. As much as ca. 75% of this space is located in the central Core and Fringe zones, as well as Upper South and South West. Cushman & Wakefield has published the sixth edition of their Skyline Tracker report, outlining developers’ activity in the Warsaw office market.

International real estate developer HB Reavis has announced the acquisition of the BEM Palace in Budapest from Europa Property Fund. Located in the heart of Buda, BEM Palace is the company’s third development site purchased in the Hungarian market and their first redevelopment project across all markets. 

2016 could be the first year that European office employment levels surpass the previous peak of 2008, according to Colliers International’s latest research ‘EMEA Offices: Is Flexibility the Future?’. The report shows that office-based employment levels in the EU have grown by 5 million, representing a 4.3 per cent increase over the last 10 years and surpassing the previous peak of 2008. 

The size of office space lease and sale transactions in Moscow involving foreign companies decreased from 40% to 20% in Q1 2016 compared to Q4 2015. Although foreign companies continue to sign new deals, they are choosing smaller offices and re-negotiating current leases to decrease the amount of occupied space, according to a report by the international consulting company Colliers international.

TriGranit has started its first year backed with a new owner, TPG Real Estate. In Q1 2016, new leases and renewal agreements reached 25,777 sqm GLA, the average occupancy rate is over 95% in TriGranit managed assets and the company has 20,000 sqm GLA office development in progress. Due to the strong performance of the BPO sector in the region, the company plans further office developments in the near future in each of its core countries: Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.