In the third quarter of 2023, the European Union investment market exhibited restrained performance, registering a transaction volume of €23 billion which, in turn, represents a noteworthy year-on-year decline of 57%. The cumulative transaction volume for the initial three quarters of 2023 amounted to approximately €80.4 billion, with domestic investors accounting for 53% of these transactions. Markus Arnold, the CEO and sole proprietor of Arnold Investments, observes "a sustained trend where equity-strong private investors continue to be highly active". The leading asset class on the European investment market remained offices with a transaction volume of €24.3 billion, comprising 30% of the total, followed by residential properties (€16.5 billion; 21%) and retail properties (€14 billion; 17%).

Prime yields for apartment blocks, which move in the opposite direction to prices, continue to rise across Europe and stood at 4.35% in Q3 2023, 38 basis points higher than in the first quarter this year, according to research by Catella Group.

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.

With a total value of $379.7 trillion at the end of 2022, real estate is worth more than the global equity and bond markets combined and is almost four times the size of global GDP, shows a Savills report.

Mitiska REIM, specialised in European convenience real estate, has announced that fundraising for its third flagship fund, Mitiska European Real Estate Partners 3 (MEREP 3), has now reached €168 million. 

Changes are currently taking place in HB Reavis’ executive leadership teams and across the Board of Directors. Marian Herman and Peter Pecnik stepped down as Group CEO and Group CFO, respectively. The recently created HB Reavis Asset Management platform managing a €2.3 billion top asset portfolio will be led by Marcel Sedlak as CEO, Tomas Krajcir as CFO and Matus Liptak as COO. Steven Skinner was appointed as CEO to lead the company development arm that focuses on developing the existing pipeline.

Property Forum is proud to be joining the first European World Built Environment Forum as a Media Partner. The event, organised by Property Forum’s long-term partner, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), will be held at the Procuratie Vecchie, Venice, a historical landmark in Piazza San Marco, in collaboration with Generali Real Estate.

Equity strong private investors have become active due to the most attractive yields seen in years, although the overall investment volumes have continued to fall in Q2 2023, while hotels remain a strong asset, according to a report of Arnold Investments. 

Europe’s share of semiconductor production will need to more than double to reach the EU Chips Act’s target of 20% of global output by 2030, which will also generate demand for warehouse space across the continent.

According to Savills, growth in prime rents is set to remain robust across the continent having increased by 10.4% in the last four quarters. This is despite vacancy creeping up to 3.5% in Q1 2023, reflecting the impact of slower leasing activity.