ARTICLES LABELLED WITH TAG Czech Republic

After an acquisition of complementary retail assets this year, Immofinanz is again expanding its retail portfolio in the Czech Republic with the acquisition of two properties from CPI Property Group. As the CPIPG holds roughly 77% of Immofinanz shares, this acquisition legally represents a transaction with related parties.

The third fund of the real estate and investment group Arete has completed the development of a modern industrial complex in the urban area of Pilsen, Borská pole. The long-term tenant of the hall will be Oxymetal CZ, which specializes in metal processing and production of metal components for various industries, including automotive, energy and construction. 

The reconstruction of the Masaryk railway station in Prague will be done for the Railway Administration (SŽ) for approximately CZK 3.39 billion (€138.5 million) by Strabag Rail and Strabag, which were successful in the tender. ČTK was informed about this by SŽ spokeswoman Nela Eberl Friebová. During the reconstruction, a platform will be built above the track, a better connection with Florence will be created and trains will be able to run on nine tracks instead of the current seven. SŽ also plans to reconstruct the Smíchov and Main Railway Stations in Prague, writes ČTK.

Kaprain and Penta Real Estate have entered into a cooperation agreement to build on the former Howden ČKD factory site adjacent to the O2 arena. Penta has bought a 40% stake in the project, which will create a new centre of Prague's Vysočany and Libeň districts on a site of over 50,000 sqm, Kaprain announced.

The Prague 14 municipal district has managed to start construction on a 30-year neglected area near the Černý Most metro station. It was only possible when the municipality took over the area affected and was able to improve it. This finally began to happen in mid-September this year, when the construction of a new modern multifunctional building started on the site. What is new is that the Prague 14 councillors at their December meeting approved the conclusion of a contract for the construction and financing of the building with the company Dostupné bydlení České spořitelny (Affordable Housing Česká spořitelna, DBČS). The latter will invest CZK 200 million (€8.156 million) in the project. The total cost of the project is estimated at €25.7 million.

VGP has announced the establishment of a new 50:50 Joint Venture named “Saga” with Areim, an independent fund manager and property owner headquartered in Stockholm. The Saga Joint Venture will focus exclusively on key European markets, including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

With the upcoming introduction of mandatory non-financial reporting, which will require companies to report on how they are performing in the areas of environment, employee relations and responsibility, and ethical working practices, industrial and logistics companies are taking a keener interest in sustainable solutions. This interest is then reflected in their demands for the properties on which they are based. Research by Colliers shows that the sustainability issue has so far been most commonly addressed by large multinationals, who expect properties to be equipped with sustainable technologies such as heat pumps, heat recovery units, energy-efficient smart lighting and photovoltaics. Experts from Colliers predict that interest in this topic will also increase next year but among smaller local companies. 

Marek Blaha, Head of affordable housing developer Dostupné bydlení České spořitelny, talked to Property Forum about the necessity of expanding the overall availability of housing in the Czech Republic. According to him, one of the strategies to solve such a problem could lie in augmenting the proportion of rental housing and this could be supported by the cooperation of banks, municipalities and developers.

Českomoravská nemovitostní has acquired a quarter stake in the Churchill Square office complex in Prague near the main railway station for CZK 1 billion (€41 million). It has thus become the majority owner of the complex. The seller was a holding from Lebanon, reports the daily e15.cz.

It is anticipated that the market will experience the transition from being perceived as a problem to an opportunity for many investors and funds in 2024. CBRE summarised this year's developments in the Czech commercial real estate market and provided an outlook for 2024.