Czech real estate developer Kaprain Group, owned by businessman Karel Pražák, has launched the construction of the 30,000 sqm Kaprain Harfa Business Center office project next to Prague’s O2 Arena, local daily E15 reports.

DIY retail group XLMX, the company that controls furniture stores KIKA, Möbelix and XXXLutz, has leased 25,000 sqm in P3 Lovosice, located between Prague and the Czech-German border. The new hall will serve as a central warehouse for stores in the Czech Republic and other European markets.

By purchasing the Mezi Vodami 31 office building in Modřany, Prague, the NEMO Real Estate Fund, established by Českomoravská Nemovitostní (ČMN), expanded the total area of its office portfolio to 17,500 sqm. The value of the Fund’s portfolio now reaches €47.7 million (CZK 1.3 billion).

Businesses and landlords needing advice on how to safely bring their staff and tenants back to the office after the COVID-19 lockdown can now receive recommendations within a week from experts at Colliers International. The global real estate consultancy is using expertise from its Workplace Advisory and Project Management teams, within the EMEA Occupier Services department, to provide, quick, detailed and innovative solutions to maximise office capacity – including cost estimates.

Crestyl Real Estate is planning to start the construction of the 39,000 sqm Savarin mixed-use redevelopment project in Prague’s historic centre this autumn, local daily E15 reports. The project, based on the plans of the Heatherwick Studio, will see the construction of new office, retail, leisure and entertainment space within the original Baroque palace, riding hall and its courtyards

Czech industrial developer Contera has obtained a syndicated loan from ČSOB and Komerční banka in the total amount of €155 million. Most of the funds will be committed to refinancing the developer’s portfolio of warehouses and production halls in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which are owned and operated by Contera together with US investment company TPG Capital. The remainder of the loan is allocated to the development of new projects.

Penta Real Estate has obtained a zoning decision which means that it can apply for a building permit for its Masaryk station mixed-use reconstruction project in the centre of Prague. Based on the design of Zaha Hadid Architects, the project has been in the works for over a decade. Completion is planned for 2022-2025.

Atrium European Real Estate published an update on trading for the three months ended 31 March 2020 and an update on trading in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. A progressive reopening has been launched from 4 May in Poland and is planned from 11 May in the Czech Republic and 3 June Slovakia, although it is too early to say when the company’s assets will return to full operation.

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak seems to be having a severely negative impact on market sentiment across the CEE region, according to the latest RICS Commercial Property Monitor. Q1 2020 figures show that both rental and capital value expectations have been downgraded across the region with retail expected to see the sharpest decline and industrial proving to be the most resilient asset class.

The Industrial Research Forum in the Czech Republic announced the final industrial market figures for Q1 2020. According to the report, both global and local real estate markets are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the adopted measures. The situation is changing dynamically and currently, no predictions can be treated as accurate. While Q1 2020 seems to be a slightly weaker quarter in terms of take-up volumes, the Industrial Research Forum expects the true impact to be visible during Q2 and beyond.