Diófa Fund Management has announced the purchase of Europark shopping centre in Budapest from Unibail Rodamco. The acquisition is a result of a one year long and constructive cooperation between the parties and was entirely funded by own capital. Due to new investment fund restrictions it is highly possible that this was the first and last shared deal on the market.  

Within two months OTP Real Estate Investment Fund has already added the second logistics property to its portfolio. The 35,000 sqm warehouse complex is located in South-Pest, within the Gyál Business Park, near the M5 motorway and several multinational companies. The transaction is part of OTP Real Estate Investment Fund Management’s ongoing portfolio development, therefore further transactions can be expected in 2016.

German asset and investment manager KGAL has purchased the Eiffel Square office building located in Budapest, representing the largest office transaction in Hungary in 2016 and marking the return of core investors in Hungary. 

International real estate developer HB Reavis has announced the acquisition of the BEM Palace in Budapest from Europa Property Fund. Located in the heart of Buda, BEM Palace is the company’s third development site purchased in the Hungarian market and their first redevelopment project across all markets. 

Horizon Development’s re-conceptualized historic building Váci 1 in Downtown Budapest has fully opened. The 13,750 sqm UNESCO World Heritage listed neo-classicist palace - constructed between 1911 and 1915 - is home to the newest flagship store of H&M.

The fact that Budapest is competing for the right to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics has now Been decided, as the capital submitted the initial application materials in the middle of February. The next big question is, will the choice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) really fall on Budapest, and if so, will the city manage to prepare for the games in time and in a sustainable manner.

TriGranit has started its first year backed with a new owner, TPG Real Estate. In Q1 2016, new leases and renewal agreements reached 25,777 sqm GLA, the average occupancy rate is over 95% in TriGranit managed assets and the company has 20,000 sqm GLA office development in progress. Due to the strong performance of the BPO sector in the region, the company plans further office developments in the near future in each of its core countries: Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. 

Demand for industrial space lifted significantly in Q1 2016 in Budapest industrial markets and the hegemony of BTS projects has not broken yet. In the Budapest-South submarket vacancy rate dropped to 4.4% triggering two speculative projects, CBRE reports.

The vacancy rate on the Budapest industrial market declined 2 percentage points to a level below 10%. The Budapest Research Forum has published its Q1 2016 industrial market snapshot.

Vacancy rates have further declined on the Budapest office market as a result of modest development activity and strong demand from tenants. The Budapest Research Forum has published its quarterly office market analysis.