The markets of Budapest, Bucharest, and Warsaw, in addition to Milan and Oslo, offer the most amenable conditions for both lenders and borrowers, according CBRE’s research.

Prague-based Star Capital Investments has become the new owner of the Futurum Ostrava and OC Haná shopping centres in the Czech Republic. CBRE participated in these transactions, representing the foreign sellers. CBRE also manages the building and leasing activities for Futurum Ostrava.

Pan-European fund manager Aerium has sold a shopping centre in Brno to CPI Property Group, for an undisclosed sum. Built in 2004, Kralovo Pole Shopping Centre comprises of a two-level gallery with 78 shops and a food court, providing a total of 26,500 sqm GLA plus 900 parking spaces. It is anchored by a Tesco hypermarket.

Union Investment has sold the 18,000 sqm office property Krisztina Palace in Budapest. The property was acquired in 2008 as a development project and has been part of the portfolio of the open-end real estate fund Unilmmo: Global ever since. The property has been purchased by the Erste Open-Ended Real Estate Investment Fund, managed by Erste Asset Management, the asset management arm of Erste Group. CBRE brokered the transaction and the legal firm CMS provided legal advice. 

Total real estate investment in Europe reached €74 billion in Q2 2017, representing a 25% increase on the same period last year, according to CBRE. Central Europe as a region proves to be more attractive to international investors than last year with Hungary accounting 15% of the overall investment volume.

Mint Investments, a Central European real estate investment & asset manager acquired the International Business Center (IBC) in Prague on behalf of a syndicate of private investors. The buyer was AEW Europe, a multi-national real estate asset manager, with over €60 billion of assets under management. AEW was advised by CBRE, Havel, Holásek & Partners and Mazars. Mint Investments were advised by Mareš Partners and EY.

After entering the Hungarian market in 2016, M7 Real Estate has chosen the Budapest office of CBRE to manage the entire Hungarian real estate portfolio within the M7 CEREF I Fund. 

According to its analysis of the Czech industrial & logistics market, CBRE monitors a significant increase in end-user demand and resulting developer and construction activity in the still relatively unestablished location of Northwest Bohemia. Combined with already strong activity in West Bohemia, the region of West Northwest Bohemia currently represents the most active region in the terms of construction activity for the first time in history and even outpacing the Greater Prague Region. The West Northwest Bohemia region will be a driver of new supply in 2017 and together with the Greater Prague area will account for approximately 80% of newly to be delivered space in the Czech Republic in 2017.

After acquiring the Campona and Pólus shopping centres in Budapest, CPI Property Group has again entrusted CBRE to manage its new properties. CBRE has also been selected as the exclusive leasing agency for the two malls.

Cresco Group’s latest development in Bratislava, UNIQ Staromestská has received its final inspection certificate. The building consists of three underground and seven above-ground floors. It offers 7,656 sqm of office space, complemented with retail facilities and storage areas covering 917 sqm.