In 2021, the warehouse sector strongly dominated Poland's commercial real estate market in terms of volume. The value of transactions - approximately €3.2 billion - accounted for over half of the total value of investment transactions. In 2022, the sector's result - €2 billion – accounted for "only" a 34% share in the total transaction volume in Poland, says Bartłomiej Krzyżak, Senior Director, Investment at Avison Young Poland.

Romanian developer Pedro Construct has completed a new office building spanning 9,500 sqm in Bucharest following an investment of around €18 million.  

Saying goodbye to 2022 means welcoming a year of uncertainty for the fourth time in a row. Two pandemic years, war in Ukraine, historically high inflation and the upcoming spectre of recession have forced the Polish investment market to cope with tough times, says Avison Young Poland

The historic building will offer 4,600 sqm of office and 340 sqm of retail space in the very heart of the Hungarian capital. The opening is expected at the end of January.

Taking into account the mood and current investment activity, it would seem that the recession in global markets is only just developing. A clear slowdown in real estate transactions has been visible since mid-2022. Several factors contributed to it, including the increase in interest rates, uncertainty related to the geopolitical situation, the war in Ukraine, games between the USA, Taiwan and China, as well as the instability of government and economy in Great Britain and economic problems in China, claims Michał Ćwikliński, Principal, Managing Director – Poland at Avison Young. 

As we are seeing a slowing down of new office projects across Budapest and the region, occupancy has emerged as ‘king’, while energy efficiency has become the number one priority for both landlords and tenants. Property Forum asked Jake Lodge, Principal at Avison Young in Hungary about his view on the major changes in the local office market and the way landlords and tenants try to overcome mounting difficulties.

From the warehouse developers' perspective, 2023 will be marked by very well-thought-out purchases. With the costs of financing constantly rising, construction costs changing, and investors pressing for discounts on the existing warehouse market, the land market will be the first to feel this accumulated pressure, says Bartłomiej Krzyżak, Senior Director, Investment at Avison Young.

The retail property investment market sector in Poland is thriving, thanks to the stable growth of retail parks (above 5,000 sqm GLA) and convenience retail (retail parks under 5,000 sqm GLA) schemes. Since 2016, 160 assets of this type have been finalized, says Avison Young Poland.

High inflation is one of the factors that will have a huge impact on budgeting related to leasing office space by tenants in the near future, says Avison Young Poland.

As service charge budgets are set for 2023, occupiers and landlords with vacancy can expect significant operational cost increases across their real estate portfolios. Property Forum talked to Ryan Wray MRICS, Principal at Avison Young Czech Republic to understand what you can do to make savings and get better value from your budget.