Prologis has signed two lease agreements with Sony DADC, a disc and digital solution provider for the entertainment, education and information industries, totalling 20,450 square metres at Prologis Park Pilsen-Štěnovice.

M7 Real Estate, a pan-European investor and asset manager, has raised its first Central European fund. M7 Central European Real Estate Fund I (M7 CEREF I) has received investor commitments from a number of family office and high net worth individuals totalling over €35 million to be deployed in the region. Following this initial raise, M7 CEREF I has acquired Oregon House in Prague. 

Central and Eastern European housing markets are over the crisis and prices have once again begun to rise. The general upswing, observed on European housing markets, is supported by a number of factors. Following the economic crisis, GDP has begun to grow once again in most countries and the interest environment is also favourable to borrowing. These both contribute to a recovery in housing market demand, which may then materialise in higher prices. In the case of housing markets in the Central and Eastern European region, significant differences in price dynamics may be observed. Hungary stands out from the field, where a highly significant price rise has been observed in the past two years with the prices of second-hand homes having grown by 29 percent. We take a look at Central and Eastern European housing markets.

According to the latest report by JLL, High Street Retail in Prague 2016/2017, the Czech capital is the most attractive destination for expansion of international retailers in CEE and is being considered as the gate when entering this region. Demand for quality space on Prague’s high streets, Pařížská and Na Příkopě, is outstripping supply which is reflected in the current rent rate of up to €190/sqm/month for a notional unit of 100 sqm in a prime location.

In Q3 2016, industrial space totalling 60,200 sqm was added to the Czech Republic’s industrial property market and there was 474,800 sqm of storage and industrial space under construction at the end of the quarter. The Industrial Research Forum has announced its preliminary industrial market figures for Q3 2016.

Emerging Europe Properties Fund and Discovery Group have sold Nakupní Park Centro Ostrava to Focus Estate Fund. The subject of the sale is a fully leased retail park in Ostrava. Operating since 2011, it offers 7,700 sqm of retail space. Long-term tenants include Mountfield, JYSK, Okay Electric, Breno, Jitona, Kasa, Super Zoo, and Rossmann.

Deka Immobilien GmbH has secured the building complex “The Park” in Prague under a purchase agreement with a controlled affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group. Under the terms of the transaction—which were not disclosed—the office park will be transferred to the new institutional fund Deka-Immobilien Fokus Prag (DIFP). The fund will be launched when the sale is closed, which is expected to take place at the end of October.

This year has witnessed new players entering Central and Eastern European markets which, when combined with investments from the region's traditional players, has further increased CEE investment activity. Colliers, Skanska and JLL has released a joint report that analyses the region’s potential as an investment location.

In the last quarter alone South African investors have spent €1 billion in CEE and it is most likely that they won’t stop chasing higher yields anytime soon. Even though investments in Central and Eastern Europe are generally considered risky by European standards, coming from other parts of the world opportunities in the region may seem rather safe. We report from CEE Property Forum 2016, co-organised by Portfolio Property Forum and RICS, where over 300 visitors and 70 speakers came together to discuss the most pressing issues concerning regional investment markets.

Prologis has begun the development of an 11,720 sqm speculative distribution facility at Prologis Park Prague-Airport in response to high customer demand, which has resulted in the park being fully let.