The EECFA 2022 Winter Construction Forecast Report has been released and yet another downward revision characterizes the forecast for both Southeast Europe and Eastern Europe. Southeast Europe could see shrinkage on the horizon. This, however, comes after a great period of construction between 2016 and 2021, so the market is foreseen to come down from a peak level. In this respect, the 3% decline until 2024 is no drama, in EECFA’s view. The drama is in East Europe where the peak was reached in 2018 and the market was around 10% below that peak level even before the Ukraine war began. Since then, EECFA has paused issuing forecasts in Ukraine and a status report has been prepared. Without Ukraine, the region is expected to reach its bottom in 2023.

The Czech Republic is among the top ten manufacturing destinations worldwide and has the third lowest risk profile. In a ranking of countries with the best conditions for the manufacturing sector, Czechia stands in eighth place and remains at the top of the list of countries whose manufacturing sector is thriving. Cushman & Wakefield reports.

Following the pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Cushman & Wakefield has brought back the Main Streets Across the World report, ranking 47 countries by headline rents in best-in-class urban locations in each of them. The Czech Republic is newly represented by Prague’s Pařížská Street, which has replaced Na Příkopě as the country’s most expensive street. Among the other most expensive main streets of the world, Pařížská ranks 17th (Na Příkopě ranked 18th in 2019) and comes first in the CEE region. As compared by the survey, the highest prime rent achieved in Pařížská as of this year’s third quarter amounts to €2,719 per square metre per year, or approximately €227 per square metre a month.

Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments at W. P. Carey, talked to Property Forum about the environment for property transactions in 2023 and the company’s focus on mission-critical projects in its portfolio.

Marius Persenea, COO of Romanian developer Iulius, spoke with Property Forum about the macroeconomic picture of the country going into 2023 and the potential of regional cities to attract property investments on the medium and long term.

In Q1-Q3 2022, CA Immo was able to increase its recurring earnings (FFO I) by 2.4% year-on-year to €102.5 million in the third quarter. Rental income rose by 2.5% to €158.1 million in the first nine months. The recent portfolio expansions and higher rental income from investment properties thus more than offset the effects from portfolio sales. Consolidated net income rose by 40% to €267.5 million, driven among other things by a strong revaluation result (Q1-Q3 2021: €180.4 million). The positive development in the third quarter was mainly due to the good letting business and the takeover of two project completions into the own portfolio. Following the strong first nine months, CA Immo confirms its earnings forecast for 2022 and expects recurring earnings (FFO I) of more than €125 million.

In the first three quarters of 2022, Immofinanz’s rental income reached a high €216.9 million, the results of asset management improved by 3.2% to €168.4 million, and sustainable FFO 1 from the standing investment business (including the S Immo dividend) rose by more than 15% to €115.9 million. Net profit equalled €248.6 million.

Immofinanz has received approval from its Supervisory Board to enter into negotiations with its core shareholder CPI Property Group concerning the acquisition of shares in S Immo. Currently, Immofinanz directly holds approx. 26.49% of S Immo. CPIPG directly holds 52.7% of S Immo, which may further increase as a result of CPIPG’s mandatory takeover offer over S Immo.

Rent indexation shall provide for further FFO increase, while low interest cost and improved maturity profile offer downside protection, says GTC. 

Due to strong Q1 activity, partially spilling over from last year, investment volumes for the first three quarters of 2022 totalled €7.5 billion. Year-end 2022 volumes could reach between €9.0 and 10.0 billion, reveals a report by Colliers.