Muler Onofrei, the former CEO of Element Industrial, joins CBRE Romania in the position of Business Development Director. Muler will focus on the industrial sector, where he has gained extensive experience, previously working for international investors such as ProLogis and Panattoni and laying the foundations of local developer Element Industrial.

CBRE, which has been managing the 22,805 sqm Visionary office building in Prague 7 for CA Immo for two years, has received a mandate to manage the Austrian company’s remaining office portfolio in the Czech Republic.

The end of 2020 saw the completion of an investment transaction that will enable the future development of one of the largest logistics parks in the Czech Republic on the extensive land surrounding the D5 motorway near Pilsen. CBRE prepared and managed the disposal process on behalf of the Icelandic asset manager Kaupthing. CBRE in addition to advising on the sale, also assisted with land due diligence, feasibility study and provided technical advisory. The new owner of the land is retail chain Lidl.

CBRE Czech Republic has taken over the property management of the Novo Plaza shopping centre in Prague, starting 1 January 2021. The property offers 27,500 sqm of space, comprising a retail centre with a GLA of 21,500 sqm including retail, office, storage and support areas and a hypermarket with a GLA of 6,000 sqm, anchored by Tesco. The shopping centre has 710 underground and 140 surface-level parking spaces.

Rockwell Automation, a global manufacturer and supplier of industrial automation and IT solutions, has extended its lease of warehouse and office space in Katowice. In the process of negotiating the new contract terms, the company was represented by CBRE, while the owner of the building - Aviva Investors - was advised by experts from JLL.

Blackbrook Capital, a European independent real estate investment firm focusing on mission-critical commercial property, announced the acquisition of a 100,000 sqm Class A logistics facility in Poland from GLL Real Estate Partners. The transaction price was not disclosed.

CBRE was appointed by developer Skanska to provide property management services for the Campus 6.2 and Campus 6.3 office buildings, located in the central-western area of Bucharest. The two projects total 38,000 sqm, increasing the portfolio managed by CBRE in Romania to approximately 840,000 sqm of office space and shopping centres.

CBRE launches a range of omnichannel services in Romania, for retailers who want a quick adjustment to the new market context by expanding industrial spaces. Omnichannel services have already been present for three years in the global CBRE network, mostly in the United States and the United Kingdom, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the synergy between retail and industrial worldwide.

The market of industrial spaces in the west of Romania, respectively in the counties of Timiș, Arad and Bihor, continues to attract the attention of investors, after doubling its volume in the last ten years, ranking second after Bucharest. CBRE recently advised pan-European developer VGP on the acquisition of a 39-ha land plot in Arad. 

Romania's real estate investment volume amounted to approx. €395 million in the first six months of 2020, a value 17% higher than the same period of the previous year, according to CBRE. Office buildings were the properties most sought after by investors, accounting for 88% of the volume traded and other similar projects are available for sale, totaling over €350 million.