Demand and supply slowed during the last quarter but remained relatively strong, reveals the latest report from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland. Both vacancy and rental rates edged up by the end of 2023. Looking ahead, urban warehouses and built-to-suit projects will increase in popularity.

Members of the European Parliament adopted plans agreed upon with the EU Council, which will contribute to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector, according to a statement from the European Parliament.  

Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG (pbb), a leading European specialist bank for commercial real estate finance, expects its results for the current financial year to be significantly higher than in 2023. 

Alto Real Estate has just announced the winning design for the 15,000 sqm plot located near Bratislava's Old Town, in the Mlynské Nivy – Chalupkova zone, adjacent to Sky Park development. The international architectural-urbanistic competition, conducted in two rounds, has seen seven finalists selected from 38 contenders.

Romanian developer One United Properties recorded a net profit of €89.6 million in 2023, up 8% year-on-year, while its turnover rose by 30% to €306.6 million over higher residential sales and rent income.

In 2023, Central Europe’s commercial real estate market faced a notable decline in investment volumes. Dropping by 55% year on year, the region’s total investment volume accounted for €5.02 billion. Of the six countries surveyed by Cushman & Wakefield, Poland experienced the most significant downturn of 68%, with its share of the total CEE volume also dropping. The highest proportion of the capital went into the office sector, which also recorded the sharpest outward movement in terms of yields. Local and regional investors accounted for two-thirds of the investment transaction volumes, a significant increase from the previous years. Despite challenges, the market demonstrates resilience, particularly in the logistics and residential sectors, spotlighting areas of growth potential.

Industrial demand has shifted from logistics service providers to manufacturing companies. CBRE is reporting a year-on-year increase of 22 percentage points to a 53% share of total demand in the Czech Republic.

Higher borrowing costs and the price gap between buyers' and sellers' expectations are some of the reasons why transaction volumes are significantly below the 10-year average level of ca. €10 billion. This is according to a commercial real estate investment volumes survey by Colliers presented at a February meeting of Czech and Slovak investors and other financial experts.

Although office leasing opportunities are already very limited in Prague, the good news is that Colliers' survey has reported rather stable rental prices throughout the last year.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is launching a new data list, alongside a thought leadership paper which explores and aids valuers in incorporating ESG into their work.