David Ebbrell, CEO and Mirta Ceranac Poljak, Managing Director for Croatia at M7 Real Estate talked to Property Forum at MIPIM about investment strategy, economic challenges and opportunities for sustainable growth.

For Croatia, as for other EECFA countries, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been both a supply shock and a demand shock. And many of the elements of these shocks are the same for Croatia as for other EECFA countries. On the supply side, energy costs are rising as are the costs of construction materials and of construction finance. Supply chains and labour markets have also been disrupted. On the demand side, inflation has cut into consumers’ real disposable income, consumer confidence has been shaken as a result and finance for real estate purchases has become more expensive, says Michael Glazer, SEE Regional Advisor at EECFA Croatia.

People have started to return to their usual shopping destinations. That is reflected in the positive business development of SES Spar European Shopping Centers during the second year of the pandemic. Compared to 2020, significant growth was recorded in retail partner sales, visitor footfall and average spend per purchase. This positive upward trend was recorded by SES in all countries in which it operates centres. Despite the pandemic, in 2021, a total of €22 million was invested in maintenance and sustainable measures relating to the operation of the centres, as well as in project development.

Revetas Capital, the pan-European real estate investment advisor, has announced the appointment of Michele Small as independent Board Member of Keystone CEE Scp, being nominated by the EBRD. 

GTC is set to further develop the Matrix Office Park in Zagreb by adding another building to the complex. The third building, Matrix C, which received a building permit earlier this year, will be the newest extension to the business centre. Just like the previous two, Building C is meant to provide innovative office space, while maintaining a high ecological standard for an international tenant mix. The shell & core of the building is scheduled for completion in Q2 2023 ready for the fitting out of tenant areas.

Fortenova Group has signed a contract with Agram Group for the sale of the  Cibona Business Tower in Zagreb. The asset comprises office premises on 16 floors as well as garage areas amounting to 6,700 square meters overall. In accordance with the contract, the pruchase price is not being disclosed.

Poseidon Group, an investor, asset manager and property manager of the Capitol Park centres across Croatia, confirmed the sale of the assets they fully manage in Zadar, Križevci, Krk, Jastrebarsko, Ivanić-Grad and Makarska, to a group of local private investors.

Immofinanz is following its market entry in Italy with the expansion of its Stop Shop retail park brand across the Adriatic region in line with the corporate strategy. In Croatia, plans call for an increase in the number of Stop Shops from the current level of 4 to more than 20 locations over the medium term. The completion of a newly developed Stop Shop and the expansion of an existing location is scheduled for the first half of 2022. Detailed market and location analyses indicated high demand by the Croatian population for decentralised, local supplies. This conclusion led to a decision by Immofinanz to secure 22 sites in medium-sized Croatian cities for the development of Stop Shop retail parks. The purchase price for these sites totals approximately €80 million.

Romania is expected to see only moderate growth on the horizon. Serbia, having recorded the biggest expansion of almost 100% in the 2014-2020 period, is foreseen to plateau in the upcoming years, according to the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association’s 2021 Winter Construction Forecast Report.

M7 Real Estate has completed the final sale on behalf of the M7 Central European Real Estate Fund I (M7 CEREF), with the disposal of the Mani Business Centre in Zagreb to Raiffeisen Pension Insurance Company. M7 will continue to asset manage the property on behalf of the new owner.