According to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield, gross warehouse take-up in Poland stabilized at over 1 million sqm in Q2 2023. Furthermore, at the end of June 2023, there was 2.1 million sqm under construction, with the relatively strong development activity being driven by higher rents encouraging investors to launch new projects. In addition, Poland entered the top three EU markets in terms of warehouse stock, jumping into third spot behind Germany and France.

Prague is the second most attractive market in CEE for hotel operators with a presence or interest in the region. Its popularity is backed up by H1 2023 being a period of healthy recovery for Prague hotels which achieved the second highest (after Budapest) RevPAR (revenue per available room) among the region’s capitals. In this year’s first six months, it reached €69, which is an increase of 57 percent versus H1 2022, and already a 5 percent increase versus the pre-Covid H1 2019. This was primarily driven by the strong ADR (average daily rate) growth, which surpassed 2019 levels by over 20 percent. Hotel operators are optimistic about the industry’s outlook and keen to expand across the CEE region. However, 28 percent of planned hotel projects in the region are facing delays or put on hold, mainly due to the increased development costs, reports Cushman & Wakefield in the Hotel Operator Beat survey.

Nrep, the ESG-focused real estate investor with €19 billion of assets under management, has purchased a controlling stake in Polish industrial developer 7R. Following the deal, Nrep will invest around €200 million of new equity in the company.

Cushman & Wakefield has established in Poland a strategic consulting and ESG department led by Katarzyna Lipka. At the same time, Ewa Derlatka-Chilewicz has been promoted to Head of Research.

Bulgaria's retail sector has displayed resilience and growth in Q2 2023, with positive economic indicators, aggressive retail park expansion, and stable pricing trends. Despite challenges faced by CEE countries, Bulgaria's economy is on a positive trajectory, setting the stage for a promising retail landscape. These are the highlights of Cushman & Wakefield/Forton's latest retail market report.

How does hyper-personalisation differ from personalisation which has ruled the retail market for years? The former leverages transactional and behavioural data and AI systems to foresee consumer needs more precisely, to reach out with a bespoke and personalised offer, and to deepen existing brand-customer relationships and build new ones. Although hyper-personalisation-based solutions in marketing strategies were initially intended for online shopping, this trend is now opening up new opportunities in multichannel retail. Cushman & Wakefield points out the growing role of such solutions for shopping centre retailers in an increasingly competitive market environment.

Rebounding industrial production and easing inflation are helping the Slovak economy to avoid recession. In the industrial market, it is visible robust construction growth and demand surge. The office sector is resilient but vacant subleased spaces are increasing, while the rental rates are stable amid yield increases. Nevertheless, Slovakia's retail sector is facing challenging dynamics as market limitations amplify alongside a cautious expansion trend, largely due to geopolitical and economic uncertainty, Cushman & Wakefield reports in its Marketbeat Analysis for Q2 2023.

Cushman & Wakefield has released a summary of retail market conditions in Poland. At the end of Q2 2023, there was close to 500,000 sqm of retail space under construction, seven international brands debuted on the Polish market in the three months to June while the expansion of retail parks continued apace. On the other hand, both retail tenants and landlords continued to face high inflation which impacted their real turnover levels.

According to data from Cushman & Wakefield, Lublin is the leading Polish city in terms of retail space saturation for schemes exceeding 5,000 sqm. Its space saturation rate is 1,094 sqm per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 831 sqm for Warsaw – the most mature retail market in Poland. Paradoxically, this does not preclude further growth for developers active in this market. There is still room in the city for traditional retail parks that are developed in alternative locations - frequently on the outskirts – and are anchored by tenants offering convenience shopping geared to the day-to-day needs of inhabitants.

Stefan de Goeij is joining the Cushman & Wakefield ESG team as a Partner. The sustainability and property management professional will lead the CEE team as Head of Sustainability & ESG as of July 2023.