Eurovea 2 obtained one of the largest real estate loans in Slovakia in recent years. Funding in the amount of €116 million will be used for the construction of the extension of the Eurovea shopping centre and the adjacent Pribinova X office building. Construction work by JTRE on both buildings is in full swing. The loan is provided by a syndicate of banks led by Tatra banka, together with Slovenská sporiteľňa and UniCredit Bank. The contract documentation was prepared by Dentons.

Between January and March 2021, nearly 93,000 sqm of retail stock was delivered in Poland, a result comparable to the same period last year. The structure of new supply included only two large-scale formats: stand-alone retail warehouses (55% of new space) and retail parks (31%). Convenience centres claimed the remaining 14%. The largest scheme delivered was an Agata Meble store (11,000 sqm) in Jelenia Góra. JLL summarised the conditions on Poland’s retail market at the end of the first quarter of 2021.

Nhood Services Hungary, the operator of Auchan hypermarkets in the country, will embark on the renovation of Auchan Korzó retail asset in Soroksár, Budapest.

FMCG discounters have been going from strength to strength throughout Poland in recent years and have attracted growing levels of consumer interest amid the pandemic. What are the growth opportunities for this sector? Jakub Sadowski from Cushman & Wakefield talks about the direction discount retailers are now heading in.

The retail park format was gaining ground before the pandemic and continues to grow despite it. Over the past 20 years, the share of retail parks in the entire pool of shopping facilities in the country has increased from 6% to 15% and now they occupy approximately 1.97 million sqm, according to CBRE data. Retail parks remain popular among investors, confirming their strong position, even in times of a pandemic. Their popularity is underpinned by their locality, concentration of stores providing basic needs in one place and a smaller number of customer contact points than in large centres. According to CBRE experts, the current trends indicate that by 2030 retail parks may constitute 28% of all shopping space in Poland.

Hypermarket chain Kaufland, part of German Schwarz Group, has increased its investment target in Romania in 2021. In 2020, the company opened 20 new stores, purchased land, and carried out upgrade works as part of a €300 million investment effort. 

Dino Polska opened 59 new stores in the first quarter of this year, compared to 16 y/y. At the end of March 2021, the chain consists of 1,532 stores, compared to 1,234 a year earlier.

Retailer Penny, controlled by German group REWE, will install photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of its warehouses in Romania. The renewable energy systems will be implemented in Turda and Ștefănești.  

Romania has development potential for retail projects in smaller cities, and five counties with a combined population of 1.8 million inhabitants are not covered by any modern retail schemes, according to a report by real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Hungarian developer Wing is set to start renovation works on the EuroCenter shopping centre in Budapest in the spring of 2021 with reopening scheduled for the spring of 2022. In addition to the international fashion brands, the shopping centre will offer its future visitors a diverse range of services, a renovated cinema, culinary experiences and a roof garden.