CPI Property Group acquired three hotel properties in the Czech Republic and Hungary: a historical building in Český Krumlov, an existing hotel in Olomouc and an office building adjacent to a hotel in Budapest.

CPI Property Group has begun work on the Mayhouse office building, offering 7700 square metres of modern office space from the first half of 2019. The building fills a vacant plot in the Prague district of Pankrác with views to Prague Castle.

2017 has not ended yet, but it is safe to say that it has been a record year for the CEE property market. The period of strong growth is not over yet, market sentiment is positive and all signs point to 2018 bringing new opportunities for expansion in the property business. In times like these it is especially important to find the time to share knowledge and make new connections, which is why Property Forum will continue to provide a meeting point for the CEE property industry. In 2018 Property Forum events will be held in Bratislava, Bucharest, Prague, Vienna and – for the first time – in Warsaw.

JLL´s Czech Supply Chain Activity Index marks further strong growth in Q3 2017, supporting continued robust occupier demand. The Index rose by 1.1% in Q3 2017, significantly above its long-term trend. As such, it maintained the strong growth patterns seen over the past three quarters.

Arcona Property Fund, listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, announced the successful closing of the sale last week of one of the properties in its Prague portfolio. The buyer of the functionalist administrative building on Drahobejlova Street in Prague 9 is the Czech Medical Chamber (ČLK), which has long been looking for a new building for its Prague representative office.

Prologis has signed a new lease agreement with ESA Group for 10,740 square metres at Prologis Park Prague-Uzice in the Czech Republic. ESA Group, one of the leading logistics companies in Central Europe, will lease Building 2, making the 97,800-square metre Prologis Park Prague-Uzice fully occupied. The company is an existing customer of Prologis at Prologis Park Prague D1 East, southeast of Prague. Cushman & Wakefield brokered the transaction.

CBRE has been given a new mandate for the management of a retail, office and residential building in Wenceslas Square in Prague, where Van Graaf department store is the majority tenant. The change of the building manager occurred as part of its sale. The new owner is a fund managed by BMO Real Estate Partners, part of the Bank of Montreal.

The Czech Republic saw investment in real estate tail off slightly in the third quarter to €450 million, but following a strong start to the first half of 2017 when €2.25 billion worth of transactions were closed, total cumulative investment volumes had reached €2.67 billion by the end of September, according to Colliers International.

CBRE Global Investors have been one of the most active buyers on the CEE investment market recently. Having closed the off-market acquisition of a logistics/light industrial portfolio in the Czech Republic, Robert Snincak, Head of Investment Operations CEE talked to Property Forum about CBRE Global Investors’ investment strategy for the region.

LaSalle Investment Management has acquired Palác Andel in Prague from Aberdeen Asset Management Deutschland, the German subsidiary of Aberdeen Standard Investments. This mixed-use scheme in the Prague district of Smíchov–Andel is the first Czech Republic asset for LaSalle E-REGI fund. The total purchase price reached €57.8 million. Cushman & Wakefield and Clifford Chance represented the seller. White & Case, JLL, TPA represented the buyer.