The industrial segment has stood out as the most resilient sector to the crisis and the markets Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria present a huge opportunity for further growth. Boško Tomašević MRICS, Managing Director SEE at CBRE talked to Property Forum about investment market expectations and shared the company’s expansion plans for the Balkans region.

Accolade published its results for 2020. Last year saw the expansion of the portfolio area by 30%, almost 400 new qualified investors and a year-on-year return of 10,02%. The biggest industrial real estate fund in the Czech Republic now owns a total of 16 industrial parks in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany with an area of 936,304 sqm.1,200 investors benefit from the rental income which was increased by 35%, in 2020.

Trammell Crow Company (TCC), one of the largest real estate development companies in the U.S., announced the launch of logistics development capabilities in Europe.

Czech industrial developer Demaco obtained a planning permit for the construction of an industrial hall of 18,245 sqm of a built-up area in the DMC Kvasiny industrial park. This is the largest permitted hall ready for construction near the Škoda Auto plant in Kvasiny, where the successful Superb, Kodiaq and Karoq models are produced.

eMAG announces that in the summer of this year, an area of ​​100,000 sqm will be put into use from the industrial park from Joiţa, at km 19 of the A1 highway, which will have a total area of ​​130,000 sqm. All automation will be ready by September 2022, when the entire logistics center will be operational. The investment amounts to €90 million and was announced last year.

The local market for logistics and industrial spaces accelerated expansion in 2020 both in terms of demand, which approached the threshold of 1 million sqm, and in terms of deliveries of new spaces, which reached an area of ​​649,000 sqm, both indicators reaching new records, according to real estate consulting company Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Disruptions from the pandemic are poised to continue, according to the Prologis Logistics Rent Index. Lockdowns and other COVID-19-related situations may constrain customers’ operations, though the volatility is expected to be less severe than in 2020 as many customers now have better supply chain visibility.

There is currently a shortage of industrial and logistics space on the Czech market, in addition to a lack of land suitable for their construction. This is mainly due to growing demand and the fact that local governments aren’t motivated by tax benefits to allow their construction. The situation is most evident in the vicinity of large cities, and also affects the growth of rent levels. Moreover, it has also caused a new trend in the form of the extension of rent contracts. The first new projects of over 20,000 sqm can only be expected in the second half of 2022. 

The highest ever 5.2 million sqm of warehouse space was leased in 2020 as a result of significant changes in consumer behaviour in this exceptional year. The industrial and logistics sector was the fastest to adapt to the new requirements linked with the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly adopting supply chains and ensuring health and safety to workers and customers. 2020 was also the year of rapid growth of all segments related to the e-commerce sector. In the coming years, e-commerce will set the pace of development for the entire warehouse market in Poland. AXI IMMO presents their report Polish Industrial & Logistics Market in 2020.

Accolade and Panattoni are continuing the extensive revitalization of a former settling reservoir in a sugar factory near Kojetín in the Olomouc region. The CZK 3 billion industrial complex, designed and constructed aligned with the latest trends in e-commerce and targeting future local and foreign tenants, will be completed by the end of the year 2022.