Retailer Penny, part of Rewe Group, has announced a long-term investment program in Romania that includes the expansion of the store network and the development of logistics operations. 

Shopping centre footfall in February in Poland, prior to the fourth lockdown, averaged approximately 80% of last year’s levels. Shoppers will return to shopping centres once restrictions are lifted, say experts of Cushman & Wakefield.

Close to 70,000 sqm of new retail space was delivered to the Polish market in Q1 2021, reveals Cushman & Wakefield. The new supply was dominated by small retail parks and standalone stores.

At the end of March 2021 the Dino network numbered 1,532 stores, up 298 versus March 2020. 59 new stores were opened in Q1 2021. The EBITDA margin in Q1 2021 was 8.8%, i.e. 0.2 percentage points above the corresponding period of 2020.

Globalworth, the owner and property manager of Renoma in Wrocław, has chosen Tétris as the general contractor for the renovation of the building. Following this decision, the main stage of work on the metamorphosis of this architectural landmark of the city has now started, in time for the building’s 91st anniversary.

EuroCenter owner and developer Wing has selected Bernecker Kft. to carry out general contractor tasks for the modernisation of the 46,000 sqm shopping centre located in the northern Buda area. The shopping centre has closed for the duration of the renovations and is scheduled to reopen in spring 2022, boasting a modern appearance and ready to meet 21st-century customer demands. Construction work begins in late April.

The interior of the Campona shopping centre in South Buda, owned by CPI Property Group,  will be completely rebuilt by the end of 2021.

A total of 23 retail park projects with a total area of almost 55,000 sqm were completed in the Czech Republic last year, with the volume of development exceeding a ten-year average. In effect, the aggregate area of all retail parks in the Czech Republic has exceeded 1 million sqm. Retail park development currently focuses on smaller towns with up to 40,000 inhabitants. The greatest volume of new development was in the Central Bohemian Region last year, according to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield.

Three years ago, Aldi installed its first solar power plant in its store in Sopron, followed by the unit in Budaörs. Experiences have shown that the company was able to generate two months' worth of electricity consumption this way, which motivated it to expand the initiative. Aldi will install solar panels on the rooftops of 16 stores nationwide. It expects each plant to cover at least two months' electricity supply in the given store.

Investors’ interest in retail parks in Poland has been growing year-on-year. In 2020 this was the most sought-after retail class, taking up the majority of retail transactions. Their popularity has increased especially in the last year, due to the fact that they remained resilient to the pandemic restrictions,  says Avison Young.