The increased interest of global corporations in coworking spaces was a notable trend that impacted on the office markets of the four largest capital cities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2018. The total flexible office stock of Budapest, Moscow, Prague and Warsaw stands at 286,000 sqm, accounting for approximately 1% of the combined office market of these cities (29.9 million sqm). Demand generated by coworking operators in 2018 made up 5% of the overall office take-up in the CEE capital cities.

As CEE economies and commercial real estate markets grow in size, they also grow in scope to include new sectors. Student accommodation has been one of the most successful of the new options for investors and developers in Western Europe to consider over the past ten years. The same may happen in the CEE region over the next decade, according to the third annual Colliers-CMS joint CEE Real Estate Compass report which is themed on student housing.

The BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland team was joined at the beginning of March by Piotr Krawczyński who took up the position of Head of Capital Markets CEE. His responsibilities will include client acquisition and coordination of property purchase/sale transactions across Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, his scope of duties will also involve consultancy services in respect of property investment finance.

The TriGranit Board has appointed Tom Lisiecki as the new Chief Executive Officer of TriGranit. Mr Lisiecki arrives from CityCon, having been based in Stockholm where he served as Chief Development Officer. Prior to it, he spent 13 years with TriGranit, working in the last years as Chief Investment Officer and Country Director – Poland, having been involved in all TriGranit’s projects.

Globalworth announced that Aroundtown SA has acquired an 11.8% stake in the Company. Aroundtown is a real estate company with a focus on properties with value-add potential in central locations in top tier cities primarily in Germany and the Netherlands. With a commercial real estate portfolio worth more than €13 billion, Aroundtown is the largest and highest rated (BBB+ by S&P) commercial real estate company in Germany and the 4th largest in Europe (based on market cap of €8.6 billion).

Investment market momentum is still firmly positive across Central and Eastern Europe but an increasing share of market players feel that commercial property has become expensive in the countries surveyed by the RICS Commercial Property Monitor. Although the majority of the survey’s contributors believe that the market is in the peak phase of the property cycle, growth is set to continue in the coming year.

Money from East Asia burst on to the CEE scene in 2016-17, mainly via large industrial sector portfolio deals. The industrial sector received the majority of 2018’s flow as well, though diversification via larger single asset deals is beginning to occur. Asian investors appear to need liquidity: looking by CEE-6 destination, Poland presently dominates.

Real estate transaction volumes in 2018 were the strongest on record reaching US$1.75 trillion; a 4% year-on-year (y/y) growth and surpassing previous highs of US$1.68 trillion in 2017, according to new data from global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Piotr Krawczyński joined the BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland team as Head of Capital Markets CEE. He will be responsible, among others, for acquiring new accounts and coordinating sale/purchase transactions in Central and Eastern Europe. His duties will include advisory in the field of financing real estate investment projects.

M7 Real Estate has completed €75 million of disposals across Central Europe in 2018 on behalf of both in house funds and third party mandates. M7 maintained Assets Under Management in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland at €285 million, with a portfolio comprising 375,000 sqm of multi-let office and industrial space. In addition, M7 completed circa 50 leasing events, including new leases and lease re-gears.