Jiří Oslizlo, Chairman of the Board of Agrop Nova talked to Property Forum about the unique properties of wood and wooden constructions and how he would like to use his life experience from abroad to help reconfigure Czech thinking and ways of building. 

According to Savills' research, the demand figures for premium office space in the first half of 2023 have started to vary significantly across Europe compared to the five-year average, Luxembourg saw a 137% increase, Oslo a 22% increase and Prague a 13% increase, while Lisbon, Dublin and Budapest saw declines of 62%, 42% and 21%. However, demand is facing a shortage of modern office buildings, especially in well-served locations. Moreover, no developer has started construction of an office building in Prague for more than 12 months. In addition, most of the projects that started with the construction earlier (e.g., Masaryčka) are already significantly occupied. On the contrary, the positive news for those interested in new offices is that up to 195,700 sqm of new office space could be built in Prague by the end of 2025, of which 143,600 sqm is already under construction, says Savills in its analysis. 

High demand and a lack of new projects have caused Prague's office vacancy rate to fall. It currently stands at 7.26%. The volume of new construction and refurbishments accounted for approximately 143,600 sqm at the end of Q2 2023, and the total market size was 3.85 million sqm. Benchmark rental prices did not change from the previous quarter; however, the price of office fit-out (equipping them with necessary features) is increasing due to ESG and modern standards. Such outlays can easily exceed €1,000 per sqm, according to a survey conducted by Colliers. 

The Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel, which is to be built in the heart of Prague after the renovation of eight historic buildings, and was delayed is now moving forward again. The long-planned construction of a five-star hotel was supposed to be completed last year, but the new completion date is now set for 2025 at the earliest. The reconstruction will also include 26 apartments for long-term rent, writes E15.cz.

Prague is the second most attractive market in CEE for hotel operators with a presence or interest in the region. Its popularity is backed up by H1 2023 being a period of healthy recovery for Prague hotels which achieved the second highest (after Budapest) RevPAR (revenue per available room) among the region’s capitals. In this year’s first six months, it reached €69, which is an increase of 57 percent versus H1 2022, and already a 5 percent increase versus the pre-Covid H1 2019. This was primarily driven by the strong ADR (average daily rate) growth, which surpassed 2019 levels by over 20 percent. Hotel operators are optimistic about the industry’s outlook and keen to expand across the CEE region. However, 28 percent of planned hotel projects in the region are facing delays or put on hold, mainly due to the increased development costs, reports Cushman & Wakefield in the Hotel Operator Beat survey.

The Czech industrial property market grew by 269,100 sqm in H1 2023, reaching almost 11.3 million sqm. This is a year-on-year increase of more than 11%. Thus, despite higher interest rates, more complex financing, a slowing economy and fluctuations in industrial production, the local industrial property market continues to accelerate its growth: currently at its highest level in five years. This is also linked to a slight increase in vacancy rates and the stabilisation of rental prices according to findings in a recent survey by Colliers. 

Colliers has appointed new managers to lead its industrial and investment divisions in the Czech Republic. Miroslav Kotek has been promoted to head of the industrial real estate team while Omar Sattar has been brought in to head up the real estate investment team. The main aim of this step is to strengthen the potential of both business lines of the company, to respond to the demands of the market and better deal with the dynamics of anticipated future growth in each sector.

The volume of investment in the regional real estate market during H1 2023 was one of the lowest in Central & Eastern Europe. Poland accounted for most of the regional transaction volume at 42%, followed by the Czech Republic with 34%. Total transactions in the Czech Republic in H1 amounted to approximately €692 million, a 42% year-on-year decline and a 9% decrease compared to the same period in 2021. The retail sector saw growing demand, accounting for approximately 61% of transactions. In Q2 of this year, the volume of transactions in the Czech Republic reached €298 million, down 27% compared to the previous quarter, reports Colliers in the survey.

Two large railway stations in Prague are about to be modernised. After Masarycka station, Czech national railway infrastructure manager (SŽ – Správa železnic) is now looking for a construction contractor for the Prague-Smíchov station as well. The result will be wholly modernised tracks and platforms, extended underpasses under the whole station, and a new footbridge leading over the station and allowing barrier-free access to individual platforms. The construction implementation will take place between 2024 and 2027, the total cost amounts to CZK 5.2 billion (€215 million), says SŽ in a press release.

A new residential district with almost 240 flats will be built in Ostrava's most populous district Jih. The project in Středoškolská will also include parking spaces, a park, and sports facilities. The investor will be Linkcity Czech Republic, which will pay a minimum of CZK 29 million excluding VAT (€1.2 million) for the land. Gabriela Pokorná, a spokeswoman for the municipality, told reporters, according to the ČTK news agency.