District regenerations and mixed-use developments require a complex approach even from the most experienced developers. Property Forum asked David M Johnston, Senior Director and Head of Advisory and Transaction Services at CBRE Hungary about the risks of such projects and he also shared some best practices from across the CEE region.

CBRE SEE’s Capital Markets team has acted as a sell-side advisor to Zetland Capital in the disposal of the 11,800 sqm Situla Business Center office complex in Ljubljana, the advisory firm announced on LinkedIn. The buyer’s name and the purchase price have not been disclosed.

CBRE Czech Republic has appointed Jakub Stanislav as Head of Investment Properties. Jakub Stanislav will oversee a team of four senior consultants and will be responsible for developing long-term strategies as well as building and developing client relationships. As part of his mandate, he will coordinate the purchase and sale of a wide range of commercial properties, from offices to logistics complexes and shopping centres to hotels.

Garbe Industrial Real Estate CEE has signed a lease agreement comprising 18,000 sqm with GPV, an electronics manufacturing services partner. GPV will occupy the entire building in the Garbe Green Park Piešťany. The building is currently under construction and will be finished this month. Adjustments related to the customer’s operation will be completed by the end of the year. This park that is located 80 kilometres from Bratislava will be fully let and developed.

The demand for office development or refurbishment projects remains high as more companies are looking for quality workspaces, according to CBRE data.

Real estate decision-making and people-centric strategies are becoming more integrated, according to CBRE’s 2023 European Occupier Survey. For the first time, CBRE carried out the same survey for global companies having an operation in CEE to point out major differences in workplace culture across the various geographies.

Despite numerous challenges, businesses in retail and manufacturing view their current state better than they did a year ago. The sentiment of warehouse tenants is presented in the latest Confidence Index report jointly prepared by CBRE and Panattoni.

The total stock of modern retail spaces in Romania reached 4.11 million sqm in the first quarter of 2023 following the delivery of two new retail parks with a combined leasable area of 22,000, according to a report by CBRE. 

CA Immo has successfully signed and closed the sale of the Serbian office complex Belgrade Office Park to a domestic investor. With two buildings and an underground car park, the complex comprises approx. 27,200 sqm of total lettable space. The building, which is located close to the city centre, was 97% let as of April 30, 2023, with annualized gross rental income of around €4.4 million.

Although anti-pandemic measures were still lingering on the Czech retail market at the beginning of last year, an early return to normal was expected. However, the war in Ukraine has fundamentally influenced further economic development, especially in the countries of Central Europe, including the Czech Republic. The rapid rise in prices (inflation increased by 15.1% year-on-year) and energy expenses were met by a further decline in already weakened customer confidence. How did this affect shopping centres in the Czech Republic? And what is the current sentiment on the market not only among customers but also the retailers themselves? CBRE tried to answer these questions in its annual Shopping Centre Index analysis, which is complemented by two current surveys focused on the development of customer behaviour and expectations on the part of retailers.