The Romanian property market remains attractive for investments, with 65% of investors surveyed by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox saying they are looking to expand their presence in the local market.

Uncertainty and volatility have been the two dominant trends shaping the commercial real estate market and buyer sentiment in recent months. However, according to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield, the Polish market, whose fundamentals remain strong, is broadly expected to regain equilibrium. Change is being seen in the number and types of real estate transactions taking place – due to the constrained availability of safe prime assets for sale on the office market and high financing costs, investors seeking higher returns are turning their focus to higher-risk transactions. With retail footfall figures for large schemes back at satisfactory levels after the pandemic and attractive asset pricing, the retail market has become an interesting sector for bargain hunting. The warehouse and logistics sector continues to feature prominently on investors’ radars.

White Star Real Estate has published its ESG report for the year 2022, which includes a review of activities related to the areas outlined in its ESG Policy: environmental, social and corporate governance. Despite no legal obligation to prepare a non-financial report for 2022, the company opted to create a report in reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.

With the upcoming introduction of mandatory non-financial reporting, which will require companies to report on how they are performing in the areas of environment, employee relations and responsibility, and ethical working practices, industrial and logistics companies are taking a keener interest in sustainable solutions. This interest is then reflected in their demands for the properties on which they are based. Research by Colliers shows that the sustainability issue has so far been most commonly addressed by large multinationals, who expect properties to be equipped with sustainable technologies such as heat pumps, heat recovery units, energy-efficient smart lighting and photovoltaics. Experts from Colliers predict that interest in this topic will also increase next year but among smaller local companies. 

Some of the largest cities in Romania, including the capital, have some of the newest office stocks in CEE that have certifications, according to CBRE research.

To address climate change-related challenges and help investors and occupiers comply with relevant regulations or government targets, as well as meet their own ESG commitments, CBRE's Southeastern Europe (SEE) office is expanding its services with the launch of a new business line, 'ESG & Sustainability Services'.

Steffen Szeidl, CEO of Drees & Sommer, spoke with Property Forum at Expo Real about the challenges of property development and the potential for business growth in Europe. He cites the electrification of the economy and the upgrade of the existing stock of buildings as new growth avenues for Europe.

The automotive industry had a share of 56% of the total demand for production spaces in industrial projects between 2013 and H1 2023, according to CBRE data.

Hungary's office market has slowed down, tenants are more cautious. Sadly, it often results in drawn-out decision-making as tenants focus on safe solutions, fearing the unpredictability of the future. In consequence, there are more renewals and fewer relocations. However, demand for experienced advisors providing high-added value is ever-growing, as the alternative – rectifying a poor lease contract after it is signed – is difficult and expensive, says Valter Kalaus, Managing Partner of Newmark VLK Hungary.

LCP Properties has completed the first phase of its ESG strategy aimed at making electric car charging stations widely available on its properties. Thanks to the signed agreement with Pure City, a total of 80 such devices will be installed directly at M Parks. The first of these will be set up at the M Parks currently under construction in Reda, Iława and Łochów.