ARTICLES LABELLED WITH TAG Colliers

The Czech industrial real estate market has experienced a major boom in construction activity in 2023. Although there is currently more than 1.5 million sqm of space under construction, there are few newly completed projects and the vacancy rate remains below 2%. The total supply of modern industrial space in the Czech Republic increased by only 182,200 sqm during Q3 2023, bringing the total to 11.44 million sqm at the end of September. Rents have stabilised after rocketing over the last three years and at the end of September were between €7.50-7.70 per sqm per month for warehouse space and €9.50-12.50 per sqm per month for office space, reported, according to a Colliers survey. 

There is a high demand for private accommodation in Bucharest, offering students modern and flexible accommodation options, with the current supply covering less than half of the actual requirements, according to Colliers data.

At €3.2 billion for Q1-Q3 2023, CEE investment activity is at a 10+ year low (down 59% year-on-year). The pricing gap between buyers’ and sellers' expectations remains a significant barrier to seeing volumes return to the 5 and 10-year average levels of €10-11 billion. However, real estate fundamentals in CEE remain fairly robust.  Lower levels of vacancy are being recorded and some good levels of rental growth in certain sectors have been noted, reveals Colliers in its latest report.

Elektrokontakt Romania (EKR), a subsidiary of ELEKTROKONTAKT GMBH, has leased 14,735 sqm for the next 10 years in Mureș City Logistics, jointly developed by Globalworth and Global Vision. Following this deal, the project has reached full occupancy rate.

Czech Investment group Kaprain acquired ca. 53,000 sqm brownfield site from Howden ČKD Compressors, part of Howden, a leading global engineering company, which was recently acquired by Chart Industries. Howden ČKD Compressors exclusively appointed Colliers to market the facility for sale.

Commercial property investment amounted to €168 million in H1 2023, roughly half compared to last year, with industrial and logistics accounting for the biggest share of the transaction volumes. 

Real estate developer AFI Europe has obtained the LEED v4.1 O+M certification for its AFI Cotroceni mall in Bucharest. The company was assisted by Colliers in obtaining the green certification. 

High demand and a lack of new projects have caused Prague's office vacancy rate to fall. It currently stands at 7.26%. The volume of new construction and refurbishments accounted for approximately 143,600 sqm at the end of Q2 2023, and the total market size was 3.85 million sqm. Benchmark rental prices did not change from the previous quarter; however, the price of office fit-out (equipping them with necessary features) is increasing due to ESG and modern standards. Such outlays can easily exceed €1,000 per sqm, according to a survey conducted by Colliers. 

The Czech industrial property market grew by 269,100 sqm in H1 2023, reaching almost 11.3 million sqm. This is a year-on-year increase of more than 11%. Thus, despite higher interest rates, more complex financing, a slowing economy and fluctuations in industrial production, the local industrial property market continues to accelerate its growth: currently at its highest level in five years. This is also linked to a slight increase in vacancy rates and the stabilisation of rental prices according to findings in a recent survey by Colliers. 

Colliers has appointed new managers to lead its industrial and investment divisions in the Czech Republic. Miroslav Kotek has been promoted to head of the industrial real estate team while Omar Sattar has been brought in to head up the real estate investment team. The main aim of this step is to strengthen the potential of both business lines of the company, to respond to the demands of the market and better deal with the dynamics of anticipated future growth in each sector.