German optic company Fielmann wants to set up a new highly automated fulfilment centre for its markets across Europe and therefore signed an agreement about a future lease in Garbe Park Chomutov. The company plans to occupy approximately 30,000 sqm and the planned investment is up to €65 million. This will create 500 jobs in the region, Garbe announced.

At the end of June 2022, the supply of modern retail space in the Czech Republic amounted to almost 3.97 million sqm. Shopping centres take about 67%, retail parks 31% and outlets the remaining 2% of the market. During the first six months of 2022, the retail park construction boom has not stopped yet and the retail market expanded by 19,500 sqm. Over the last five years, the share of retail parks has increased by 5%. The largest completed project in the first six months of this year was Shopping Centre Řepy in Prague. Another 52,300 sqm of retail space is currently under construction across 12 projects, of which 31,200 sqm is expected to be completed this year, says JLL in its retail market report for Q2 2022.

Another Prague brownfield will be turned into a residential project. Development group Crestyl will be building on the site of the former Waltrovka in Prague's Radlice district. The plan is to build a total of 170 flats for CZK 1.5 billion (almost €61 million) on the land, which the company bought with a zoning permit from the Red Group at the turn of this year. Preliminary construction work on the Semerínka project should start at the turn of the year and the entire project is scheduled to be completed within three years.

Developer Panattoni is going to build a new large hall for 700 workers of the automotive industry in the Panattoni Park Pilsen West II. The hall will be custom-made for the American company Shape Corporation and the hall should be finished in the first half of 2023, says Colliers who negotiated the deal that was one of the largest in the first half of this year. 

CPI Property Group (CPIPG) has become the owner of approximately 79.2% of the shares of the Austrian company S Immo. CPIPG, in its mandatory takeover offer, offered to buy out the shares of S Immo for €23.50 per share. This offer, available until August 12, 2022, was taken up by holders of approximately 36.66% of S Immo shares.

The Czech Green Building Council (CZGBC) has a new member, global commercial real estate service provider Avison Young. CZGBC is a non-profit association connecting companies with a common interest in high-quality buildings that support new construction and renovation based on sustainability principles.

We can see many significant changes, architectural achievements and positive trends in the Czech real estate market. Nevertheless, there is still much to do, says Zdenka Klapalová who is the President of the Association for Real Estate Market Development (ARTN) and has followed the Czech real estate market as an expert for more than 30 years.

CTP has officially launched the construction of a CZK 1.5 billion office building which will close the first stage of the Brno Ponávka complex development and will offer its tenants state-of-the-art technological, and environmentally sustainable solutions. At the same time, a modern urban park worth CZK 30 million is being built in the complex, as a cooperation between the developer and the City of Brno, as well as the third part of the cycle path connecting the Ponávka and Vlněna complexes.

Zeitgeist Asset Management has obtained a loan from Česká spořitelna for the largest ever refinancing of its portfolio in the amount of €113 million (CZK 2.7 billion). In total, it concerns 23 properties with a total value of €220 million, located in various Prague locations. These are mainly residential properties with apartments for rent and private campuses for student accommodation.

Helaba is providing long-term financing for Czech project developer Crestyl for the revitalisation of the well-known NR7 office building in a prime downtown location in Prague.