Companies have leased close to 550,000 sqm of industrial and logistics spaces across Romania in the first half of 2023, with more than one third of the volume represented by pre-lease agreements, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Industrial developer CTP recorded a net rental income of €268.3 million in the first half of 2023, which was up by 26.8% compared to the same period of last year, while the volume of new leases also rose.

Nrep, the ESG-focused real estate investor with €19 billion of assets under management, has purchased a controlling stake in Polish industrial developer 7R. Following the deal, Nrep will invest around €200 million of new equity in the company.

Industrial and logistics developer Panattoni has delivered Panattoni Park Bydgoszcz IV, which comprises three buildings with a total area of 110,000 sqm. The project has been fully leased out to companies specialized in production, logistics and FMCG

Nefab Packaging Poland, a provider of packaging and logistics solutions, has leased nearly 11,000 sqm of industrial and warehouse space for the next five years in CTPark Gdańsk Port. The lease allows Nefab to expand its presence in the Pomerania region and to boost its production volumes in northern Poland.

Rebounding industrial production and easing inflation are helping the Slovak economy to avoid recession. In the industrial market, it is visible robust construction growth and demand surge. The office sector is resilient but vacant subleased spaces are increasing, while the rental rates are stable amid yield increases. Nevertheless, Slovakia's retail sector is facing challenging dynamics as market limitations amplify alongside a cautious expansion trend, largely due to geopolitical and economic uncertainty, Cushman & Wakefield reports in its Marketbeat Analysis for Q2 2023.

The retail sector has been leading the investment activity in the first half of 2023 across CEE, having a share of 35% of the total volume of transactions that reached around €2.02 billion, according to a Colliers report.

The current industrial stock of close to 7 million sqm of industrial projects in Romania has the potential to support the accelerated growth of power generation systems based on photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftops of warehouses. 

The second quarter of 2023 in the Czech Republic was characterized by record industrial construction, with more than 60 percent of it already pre-leased. The vacancy rate rose slowly to the current 1.7 percent, indicating a prevailing market sentiment that sees speculative construction and a recent-record high amount of space under construction, according to the latest analysis by the Industrial Reserch Forum.

Panattoni has completed the construction of a production plant in Silesia. The developer has delivered a 21,000 sqm centre to Hager Group, the leading provider of electric installation solutions and services. The factor will primarily be used for the production of electrical safety equipment.