According to Savills, the development pipeline for the Czech industrial market reached the highest level in history in Q1 2021. There were 47 industrial buildings in various stages of construction with a total rentable area of 734,200 sqm across the country. Speculative projects represented 36% of this construction pipeline, which was well below the 10-quarter average of 46%.

Alza.cz and Rohlik.cz are launching a cooperation. Customers of the largest Czech online supermarket can have their purchases delivered to selected AlzaBoxes. The boxes involved are specially adapted to keep the food ordered fresh.

Czech industrial developer Contera is entering a new segment and will deliver an office building in the heart of Ostrava. The new project, named Organica, is set to boast intelligent control systems and environmental friendliness, the company announced on LinkedIn.

Tétris, international designer and fit-out provider of office, industrial and retail space, belonging to the portfolio of JLL, has promoted Tomáš Pfeifer to the position of Creative Director for the EMEA region.

The RSBC investment group of financier Robert Schönfeld bought the Milenium Center office complex on Hybešov Street in Brno from Generali Investments' CEE investment fund. The market value of the asset in the heart of the Moravian metropolis is estimated at €7.8 million (CZK 200 million).

Local developer Passerinvest Group is preparing its second large-scale project in Prague, Nové Roztyly. The project is to create offices and other jobs for nearly 3,000 people and to provide housing for around 1,500 residents, local daily E15 reports.

pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (pbb) and Helaba have jointly underwritten an investment facility, totalling €130 million to refinance “Dock In Office Park” (4 buildings) in Prague for Crestyl Group. pbb and Helaba are acting as joint lead arrangers providing equal portions of the funding. pbb also acted as facility and security agent of the transaction.

Arcadis has published the annual results of the International Comparison of Construction Costs which demonstrates that the building industry has shown its resistance worldwide during the pandemic. Many governments took advantage of fiscal stimuli to support their economies, which has reflected an increase in infrastructure investment of the public sector. Within CEE, Vienna (#30) has by far the highest construction costs, followed by Zagreb (#64), Bucharest (#65), Sofia (#66), Prague (#66), Warsaw (#70), Belgrade (#72) and Krakow (#75).

Crussis Electrobikes, a Czech manufacturer of e-bikes and tricycles has signed a long-term lease for 21,000 sqm in Prologis Park Prague-Úžice. The company will occupy space in building 4B of the park. Real estate agent Marek Sýkora facilitated this transaction.

The first quarter of 2021 saw record low vacancies in the greater Prague region, affirming consistent high interest in industrial premises in premium locations. High demand is pushing lease prices upwards, with lease prices having grown by 25 % per sqm year-on-year within the Prague cadastral district, for example. The Czech industrial real estate market is being impeded by drawn-out approval processes and a lack of new options in areas with the greatest demand.