In the third quarter of 2023, the European Union investment market exhibited restrained performance, registering a transaction volume of €23 billion which, in turn, represents a noteworthy year-on-year decline of 57%. The cumulative transaction volume for the initial three quarters of 2023 amounted to approximately €80.4 billion, with domestic investors accounting for 53% of these transactions. Markus Arnold, the CEO and sole proprietor of Arnold Investments, observes "a sustained trend where equity-strong private investors continue to be highly active". The leading asset class on the European investment market remained offices with a transaction volume of €24.3 billion, comprising 30% of the total, followed by residential properties (€16.5 billion; 21%) and retail properties (€14 billion; 17%).

Many industry discussions have long chalked up the retail market as an industry in deep recession, with very bleak prospects. According to the participants of the retail panel at the Future of Real Estate 2023 conference in Warsaw in November, the retail industry in Poland is not only not dying, but is regaining vigour and investor interest. The event was co-organized by Property Forum and RICS.

As elsewhere, the investment market in Poland is struggling with high interest rates and financing costs. Some asset classes though, such as flats for rent and warehouses, remain a desirable commodity among investors - this is how the panel discussion focusing on investment and financing trends at Future of Real Estate 2023 can be summarised. The event was organised by Property Forum and RICS in Warsaw this week.

To address climate change-related challenges and help investors and occupiers comply with relevant regulations or government targets, as well as meet their own ESG commitments, CBRE's Southeastern Europe (SEE) office is expanding its services with the launch of a new business line, 'ESG & Sustainability Services'.

Real estate investor and developer GTC has recorded a like-for-like rental revenue growth of 6% in the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period of last year. At the same time, the gross margin from rental activity slightly rose to €92 million.

Property Forum is proud to announce the first edition of its annual listing of the 50 most influential people in the Polish real estate market. To access the publication, fill out the pop-up window that appears on this page.

The office subleasing market in Bucharest is gaining ground as the development pipeline of new projects is falling, while tenant companies are looking for better locations to reduce commute times for employees, concluded speakers of the hybrid work panel of SEE Property Forum 2023, held in Bucharest.

Over the past decade, Hungarian real estate investors have successfully expanded outside of their home market. Firms such as Wing, Futureal, Adventum, Indotek and others have become major players in many European countries, mainly Poland and Romania. They managed to expand via acquisitions of both companies and projects. Part of their funds came from bond issues in Hungary within the Bond Funding for Growth Scheme of the National Bank of Hungary. We have prepared a timeline of the notable transactions and an overview of the market’s key players to provide a better understanding of this trend.

MDC2 and Generali Real Estate have financed the purchase of a natural forest in Gruszowiec in Małopolskie Voivodeship on behalf of MDC2 Park Kraków South, a warehouse project in Skawina near Kraków. MDC2 has been a partner of the Las Na Zawsze Foundation since 2022, supporting it financially and engaging team members in cyclical forest plantings in Poland. The purpose of the initiative is to protect the mature forest for present and future generations.

Despite a challenging financing environment, mixed-use developments are gaining ground in Romania as they provide a better mix of facilities for end–users and tenants, concluded speakers of the mixed-use panel of SEE Property Forum 2023, held in Bucharest recently.