A new survey by Genesis Property shows that 43% of Romanian employees believe that the main feature of their offices should be a healthy space, while 23% say that the workspaces should have a good resource management that includes the usage of renewable energy and efficient recycling. 

Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi, CEO of B+N Reference Zrt., a CEE-based facility management provider, spoke with Property Forum about the company’s recent international expansion and shared his vision for further growth.

Experts participating at Portfolio's recent FM & Hybrid Office conference in Budapest discussed the present and future of the office market. The past 18 months have started a multitude of changes as WFH, the sub-leasing of office space, the change in internal configurations, the return to offices, sustainable management and changing tenant requirements have led to a substantial transformation in the lives of office market players. Experts agree that hybrid office use is currently the most likely outcome, as only a few businesses have adopted WFH full-time.

Facility services provider ISS has exited the Romanian market as part of a regional transaction that includes three more Eastern Europe countries. ISS said that the divestments are in line with the company’s strategy to simplify and focus its business on key account customers. 

B+N Referencia Zrt. has acquired ISS Group’s interests in Central and Eastern Europe. With an internationally significant acquisition, the Hungarian group became one of the most notable facility management providers in the region. The transaction concerns the main subsidiaries of the ISS Group in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary.

CPI Property Group has sold part of its Czech facility management business to M2C, which provides security, maintenance and cleaning services. Employees from the existing facility management division will be transferred to M2C.

The state of emergency imposed by the current pandemic has led to the almost total vacancy of office spaces, within the context of many of the employees working from home. The landlords want to lower service charge levels for this period and continue to provide the necessary services to maintain the buildings in optimal conditions, according to a report by CBRE Romania.

CBS International, part of the Cushman & Wakefield Group, has been assigned to provide facility management services for the Blue Center office building in New Belgrade by owner Bluehouse Capital.

Skanska Property Poland has commissioned Apleona HSG Facility Management Poland with hard services for buildings 4 and 5 of the High5ive office property in Krakow. The agreed country-specific open-ended contract includes both assets supervision and complex maintenance service of all technical building systems with 24-hour emergency support.

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and its alliance partner Facility Management Netherlands (FMN) have announced that in 2020 World Workplace Europe will again be held at the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, 18 to 20 March. Property Forum is proud to support the event as media partner.