Everyday personal and professional life have both been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in a radical and unexpected way, and the general opinion is that its influence and effects will have repercussions on how people live and work, even after the medical situation will be stabilized. Cushman & Wakefield Echinox and Dentons are launching a debate over 10 issues that will impact the entire office sector in Romania, covering over 350 modern buildings with a total surface of more than 4 million square meters and approximately 400,000 employees working in some of the largest companies, emblematic for the national economy.

Benson Elliot, a UK-based private equity real estate fund manager, acting on behalf of its pan-European fund, Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners V L.P. has acquired Marynarska Business Park (MBP), an office complex in Warsaw, from a fund managed by Heitman Real Estate. The price paid was c. €65 million.

Cavatina Holding has signed a sale agreement for the Equal Business Park office complex in Kraków. The complex comprises four buildings offering a total of over 60,000 sqm of Class A office space. The buyer is a joint venture managed by Apollo-Rida Poland.

Hines European Value Fund, acting through its subsidiary Gisla, plans to acquire the Wola Center office building in Warsaw from Develia. The parties have signed a preliminary agreement with the deal value set at €101.9 million.

According to the latest CEE investment report by Skanska, Colliers International and Dentons, the region is expected to keep up the momentum. A favorable economic situation and a very good performance of the CEE cities drive demand for new investments, including in the office market. The office stock has been growing over recent years and now totals 21.8 million sqm throughout the entire CEE. Forecasted completions by 2021 will increase it by another 20% - to 26.5 million sqm. Last year’s investment in real estate markets in CEE reached approx. €13.2 billion, with over €5 billion in the office market.

Dentons’ Real Estate team in Warsaw has advised Hines Global REIT on the sale of a portfolio of five logistics properties in Poland. The transaction value was approximately €140 million. The assets were acquired by Gemini Poland Holdcos, affiliates of Blackstone Group.

The competitive advantages and strengths of the CEE region are well known to investors. But new factors have emerged that may play a central role in the medium and long-term. For example, there is a marked shift from cost efficiency to quality and knowledge-based operations across all sectors of the CEE economy. How is the tenant structure in CEE changing? Does growth in the BSS sector show any signs of slowing down? How do the legal and fiscal structures in CEE countries compare to those in Western Europe? All the answers to these and other important questions can be found in this year’s CEE Investment Report 2018: New Frontiers of Growth by Skanska, CBRE, Dentons and PwC.

In the two-year period since acquiring the office building for the Cromwell Central Europe Retail Partnership (CCERP), Cromwell has generated more than 21 per cent IRR for investors. The name of the buyer and the purchase price has not been disclosed.

An expanding BPO/SSC sector does not just boost the economy but the construction market as well. Investment funds and real estate agencies point out that in CEE there is still a need for prime offices, shopping centers and logistics infrastructure. Skanska, JLL and Dentons, in cooperation with ABSL have published their latest CEE Investment Report 2016: Mission to Outperform.