Central Europe’s smallest capital has attracted a lot of interest from investors in 2016 with more and more major players keeping their eyes on Bratislava in 2017. Nearly 20 speakers and more than 100 guests came together in the Slovak capital at the first ever Bratislava Property Summit, organised by Property Forum in cooperation with RICS.

Investment flows into the CEE region rose 70% year-on-year in Q1 2017. The level of €2.8 billion is some €0.5 billion higher than the preliminary estimate of €2.3 billion Colliers International published at the beginning of April. Money invested into the Czech Republic  (56% share) and Hungary (19% share) contributed particularly to the significant jump. Looking within the numbers, the retail sector accounted for nearly half (47%) of the flows, leaving the office sector trailing with a 21% share. Of interest and also a sign of buoyant economic growth, the fastest growth was seen in the hotel sector with a portfolio transaction contributing to the €415mn total (a 15% share). 

Tenant representation is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon on the office markets of Central Europe, which is without a doubt a sign of a healthy, growing and more educated market. Their activity, however, often raises ethical questions as it’s still often unclear who pays for their services. Conflict of interest in tenant representation has been one of the key topics of two regional events: the Property Forum - RICS Prague Property Summit 2017 and the latest RICS Hungary Tea & Talk in Budapest.

Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed by CPI Property Group to continue as a property manager of two major shopping centers and one multifunctional complex in Central and Eastern Europe which have been recently acquired from CBRE Global Investors.

Ronny Pecik has, referring to RPR Management GmbH’s right to acquire 7.6 million shares in S IMMO AG granted by Anadoria Investments Ltd. on 6 April 2017, notified S IMMO AG via legal representatives, that RPR Management GmbH, a subsidiary of RPR Privatstiftung has named the affiliated companies Everest Investment GmbH & Co KG and Pavus Immobilien GmbH & Co KG as purchasers, which acquired the shares on 4 May 2017.

Central European industrial markets have a bright future ahead of them but regulatory issues and labour shortage can pose a threat to further growth in many countries. The speakers of the first ever Prague Property Summit analysed the potential of the market from a European perspective.

Business Link and Skanska will co-create an innovative ecosystem for start-up companies, small and medium enterprises, and companies from the business services sector in CEE. The developer has invested in Business Link – the largest network of co-working space and private offices in Poland. Because of Business Link’s planned international expansion, the company will become one of the biggest networks of its kind in the world. 

Skanska helps introduce the WELL Building Standard (WELL) to the market of Central and Eastern Europe. WELL is the preeminent building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and well-being through the built environment. Spark is one of the first office buildings to pursue WELL Certification in Poland. Skanska will also apply for certification for its projects developed in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

While Western European investment markets have peaked and investment volumes are going down, CEE markets are having a strong momentum with volumes going up. This growth is most visible in the Czech Republic which posted its strongest Q1 figures on record this year. Over 20 speakers and more than 100 visitors came together in the Czech capital for the first ever Prague Property Summit, organised by Property Forum and RICS, to analyse the potential of the market from a global perspective. 

2016’s record-breaking €12.2 billion investment in the real estate sector in the CEE region is likely to be surpassed in 2017 – this is according to CEE Real Estate Investment Compass 2017 published by Colliers International and CMS. The sources of investment flows into the CEE region are also expected to remain diverse in 2017, with Asian and CEE investors becoming increasingly active in the real estate market.