The total value of 230 office, retail, warehouse and hotel projects, both ongoing and planned, which are conducted by top 30 property developers is estimated at nearly €10 billion, according to the latest report by research company Spectis.

The value of output generated by the Polish construction industry has reached an all-time high level on the back of several years’ investment upturn and it is expected to come close to €59 billion (PLN 250 billion) in 2020. In nominal terms, the market’s value is impressive, but it is less so when one looks at the volumes of construction work being performed and building materials used. A noteworthy fact is that the growth in the market’s value is boosted by rising prices of building materials and higher labour costs.

Labour shortage and rising costs in construction are problems developers in CEE have had to learn to live with over the past years. Dr. Zoltán Nádasdy MRICS, Partner, Head of CEE Real Estate Investments Group at Noerr talked to Property Forum about the legal challenges investors and developers face on the Hungarian, Romanian and Polish markets.

Despite the fact that the Polish construction market is projected to grow at a slower pace in the coming years, investment potential remains considerable for most of the regions. The total value of the 960 largest investment projects underway or planned in Poland is estimated at a staggering PLN 420 billion (€100 billion), i.e. nearly twice as much as the annual value of the construction market as a whole, according to the findings of the latest report from research company Spectis, “Construction market in Poland 2019-2025 – an analysis of 16 regions”.

Construction and assembly output generated by Polish construction companies in foreign markets has hit an all-time high of €1.55 billion, but this is still below the potential of domestic contractors. Importantly, a considerable change to the structure of companies engaged in foreign orders took place in recent years – the centre of gravity has shifted from the biggest construction groups to smaller companies with a specialised focus.

In Greek mythology, Icarus flew too near to the sun, melting the wax on his wings and he plunged into the sea. According to Colliers International’s new research, this might be a correct analogy for the current state of the construction markets in CEE.

Profitability of the 22 construction groups listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange continued in the negative territory throughout Q3 2018. Moreover, the third quarter of the year was the second consecutive quarter in which profitability reported by property developers was on the decline, though it should be noted that their earnings were still fairly decent and at a sound level when compared to contractors. On the other hand, financial results delivered by manufacturers and suppliers of building materials and construction equipment were solid

DVM group signed a contract with German developer B&L group to build a hotel next to Keleti Railway Station in Budapest. This mandate is one of the largest instructions DVM group has won on the Hungarian market to date. Planning and preparations already started early November. The scheduled delivery date of the building is 2020.

A milestone has been reached on the way to the completion of Building H, the 8th element of Bonarka for Business (B4B) office complexes in Krakow. The construction reached its highest point on the 16th of October, according to the construction schedule. TriGranit is preparing the further phases of the development, Building I and J with 10,000 sqm GLA each.

One of the most active commercial property developers of Budapest is expanding its portfolio. In addition to several office projects, it started the Hungarian capital’s first retail development in nearly a decade. Tibor Tatár, Futureal’s CEO talked to Property Forum about new projects and the challenges a developer needs to face.