What is most important to shopping centre visitors post-pandemic? Being able to shop in-store without having to rely on the internet and to make spontaneous, unplanned purchases is at the top of the list, shows the latest consumer survey commissioned by Cushman & Wakefield. Being able to participate in events held in shopping centres and access to fitness facilities were rated as least important.

Savills has examined both employee-driven and occupier/employer-driven factors to assess which global cities may see a faster transition to hybrid working post-COVID-19. From an office occupier perspective, New York, Paris, London, Berlin and Frankfurt may be primed for a faster transition to hybrid working, given comparatively high office costs, already flexible working practices and extended lockdowns, while less flexible working cultures in Mumbai, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City mean that any transition to hybrid working may be slower.

The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI) has confirmed that the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express Warsaw - The HUB and conference centre located in The Warsaw HUB complex have been awarded the WELL Health-Safety Rating. They are the first hotels in Europe to receive this certification. Since July last year, nearly 12 thousand objects all over the world have been trying to obtain this certification. As a result, the entire complex of The Warsaw HUB meets the stringent security requirements against COVID-19.

Radosław T. Krochta, CEO & President of the Management Board of Polish industrial/logistics developer MLP Group S.A., is answering questions about the group’s expansion on the German market, changing requirements of warehouse space tenants and the long-term impact of the pandemic on the sector.

Representatives of the global hotel industry have found themselves in a very difficult situation due to government restrictions that significantly limited the possibility of doing business. Justyna Kijewska, Associate, Senior Portfolio Manager at Cushman & Wakefield, talks about the current health of the hotel sector and predictions of hotel owners.

The Polish office market was booming until the pandemic struck. 2020 brought many changes and a downturn in developer and tenant activity. How is the market doing in the new environment it found itself in over a year ago? Real estate advisory firm Cresa has analysed the current levels of pre-lets and the office development pipeline in Poland.

Smaller retail facilities up to 20,000 sqm, such as parks, have proved their resilience to the pandemic in Central and Eastern Europe and remain attractive for investors. In Poland, 170,000 sqm of new supply in retail parks is planned for 2021, with 120,000 sqm in Romania, and 70,000 sqm in the Czech Republic, according to CBRE data. In all countries in the region, consumers and investors appreciate their locality, with development opportunities in small towns, supplying the most important needs and ensuring greater safety in the pandemic.

Hungarian investor Indotek Group is ready to spend hundreds of millions of euros on diversifying its portfolio geographically. Krisztián Hornok, Transaction Director and Florin Tirla, Country Head for Romania & Bulgaria shared with Property Forum the details of the company’s ambitious international expansion strategy and also discussed the pandemic’s effects on the attractiveness of different asset classes.

Although many projected that office development projects would be cancelled due to the pandemic, that is not what the numbers are showing. Developments are ongoing despite the emergence of working from home and Eston forecasts about 160,000 sqm of offices for rent to be put on the market this year, following 230,000 sqm in 2020. Meanwhile, the pre-lease ratio of buildings under construction is lower than seen in previous years, in line with the current demand trend.

According to Colliers, CEE 2021 year-end investment volumes are likely to reach similar levels to 2020. CEE economies are expected  to accelerate  throughout 2021 and 2022, at an average pace of ca. 4.3% annually