Upward pressure on rental rates and rising construction costs on the one hand and a growing focus on ESG and repositioning of commercial buildings on the other. Faced with the current pace of change in the real estate market, many investors are looking at 2023 with a degree of uncertainty. Are there any reasons to be fearful? And how will the economic slowdown shape trends and sentiments in each real estate sector in the short term? Cushman & Wakefield answers these questions and more in the fourth edition of its "Trends Radar" report, which presents forecasts and potential development trends for the Polish real estate market.

The Czech retail market once again proved its appeal to retail brands, with 38 new arrivals last year. That is the same figure as in 2021 when the influx of 38 new brands was partly the result of the postponement of some entries due to the pandemic. These numbers represent a roughly 50% increase compared to 2019 (22 brands) and 2020 (25 brands), according to the Cushman & Wakefield analysis of the Czech retail market in 2022.

The method of storing pharmaceutical products, the appropriate division of warehouse zones, and securing the supply chain - are just a few of the key elements that should be taken into account when preparing warehouse space for a pharmaceutical company. Cushman & Wakefield experts, having the opportunity to support a leading player in such a process, advise how to properly meet the challenge.

The Czech Republic is among the top ten manufacturing destinations worldwide and has the third lowest risk profile. In a ranking of countries with the best conditions for the manufacturing sector, Czechia stands in eighth place and remains at the top of the list of countries whose manufacturing sector is thriving. Cushman & Wakefield reports.

Zeitgeist Asset Management continues the complete reconstruction of the almost 100-year-old Dunaj Palace on Národní třída in the centre of Prague. The aim is to return the building to its original splendour and refinement from the 1920s. According to the developer, the spirit of the time in which the building was built will be preserved, but the building will be equipped with the most modern technologies of today. The developer announced that the building will be ready for occupation at the end of 2023.

In Q3 2022, domestic demand was still the driving force of the Slovak economy. Although rising inflation is expected to reach 12.4% in 2022, the economy should grow by 1.8%. Nevertheless, the industrial sector exceeded expectations in Q3 and kept growing at a rapid pace. In the office market, we can see restored demand in many cases and the increased leasing activity should persist towards year-end, Cushman & Wakefield published its Marketbeat Analysis for Q3 2022.

Interest in office space in Prague is not slowing down. Office demand is growing by tens of percents year-on-year, the vacancy rate is slightly decreasing and over 190,000 sqm is under construction, according to the latest office market analysis for Q3 2022 by the Prague Research Forum.

The courier, express and postal (CEP) parcel market in Poland has been enjoying continuous, double-digit growth for several years, and its value has already exceeded PLN 17 billion, according to the latest "Polish CEP Report 2022", prepa­red by Last Mile Experts, 7R and Cushman & Wakefield. Among the factors that most significantly influence the development of the last mile supply segment, experts point to the dynamic growth of the e-commerce sector, which has become one of the key purchasing channels for consumers and deter­mines the increase in demand for this type of service.

Jozef Recska joined Cushman & Wakefield Slovakia as Head of Asset Services, leading a team of property management professionals. Part of the team is managing the Novum shopping centre in Presov. The bigger part of the Asset Services team is located in Bratislava.

Despite the strong recovery of travel demand and the wall of capital looking for opportunities, transaction activity in the EU hotel market in the first half of 2022 remained flat compared to the same period last year. Nevertheless, there are five countries that are recording notable growth in transaction activity, says Cushman & Wakefield's European Hotel Market Report for H1 2022.