CTP Group, Allianz Group and ING Bank have signed a new €160 million syndicate loan for the financing of a portfolio of industrial properties in the Czech Republic. This loan serves both to refinance existing loans from a group of CEE banks and to finance new projects which have been completed in 2017. The refinancing with Allianz and ING is part of CTP´s ongoing strategy to extend its network of financing partners, including seeking partners outside the CEE region.

The Bulgarian property market is booming with the total transaction volume expected to exceed €1 billion in 2017. The outlook for the future is highly positive: strong demand, underpinned by solid economic growth, encourages developers to start new projects in all segments of the market.

At the end of Q3 2017, the vacancy rate in the Czech industrial market reached 3.6%. Vacancy in Prague fell below the country average to the level of 2.8%. The Industrial Research Forum has released the final industrial market figures for Q3 2017.

Total stock on the Czech industrial property market reached 6.71 million sqm by the end of the third quarter of 2017. From July to September this year, 68,000 sqm of new warehouse space were completed in 5 parks. Compared to Q2 2017, when a total of 208,000 sqm was delivered, it means a quarter-on-quarter decline of 67 percent. Compared to Q3 2016, when a total of 52,000 sqm was delivered to the market, it is a year-on-year increase of 31 percent. 108 Agency presented an overview of the Czech industrial property market.

German discount supermarket chain Penny Market opened a logistics centre in Veszprém, Western Hungary, following a nearly €30 million (HUF 9 billion) investment. The facility offers 26,500 sqm of warehouse space on a 10 ha land. The new warehouse can hold 15,000 pallets.

Logicor completed the development of a new 40,000 sqm warehouse in the Logicor Bucharest I park, located in Mogosoaia.

The increased use of technology is already changing the way industrial property is being built and used. Tim Davies, Head of EMEA Industrial and Logistics Agency at Colliers International United Kingdom talked to Property Forum about e-commerce, robotics, big data and many more.

At the beginning of summer 2016, a production and distribution complex owned by one of the largest non-alcoholic beverage producers Coca-Cola HBC Czech and Slovak Republics, was added to the Slovak industrial market. The complex, which offers approximately 30,000 sqm of leasable area with ca. 35,000 sqm of adjacent land for further development was exclusively marketed by the Industrial Agency team in JLL Slovakia. From October 2017 the new owner is Priemyselný areál Lúka s.r.o. The value of the transaction remains confidential.

Total demand on the Budapest industrial market amounted to 122,020 sqm in Q3 2017, showing a 44% increase year-on-year. The Budapest Research Forum published its quarterly industrial market analysis.

Prologis announced the completion of an 18,100 square metre build-to-suit (BTS) facility for Arvato Polska at Prologis Park Stryków.