Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments at W. P. Carey, talked to Property Forum about the environment for property transactions in 2023 and the company’s focus on mission-critical projects in its portfolio.

As of December 1, Martin Baláž will step up into the position of Senior Vice President, Country Manager Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary, reporting to Pawel Sapek, Prologis Senior Vice President and Regional Head for Central Europe.

Industrial and logistics developer CTP has announced the expansion of CTPark Bucharest South through the construction of a new warehouse set to almost double the total leasable area of the project to around 150,000 sqm. 

The Slovak industrial market slowed down slightly due to still rising energy prices and other costs. Developers are more cautious with new constructions and so are foreign investors. This will give an opportunity to local developers and larger companies with a stable background. At the beginning of 2023, 108 Agency Slovakia expects a cooling down of the market.

In Q3 2022, the Czech industrial market grew at a faster pace than at any time previously, adding 511,100 sqm of new modern industrial space to the market. The market stock overtook the level of 10.65 million sqm, further expanding after breaking the 10 million sqm milestone in H1 2022. The vacancy rate decreased to 0.99% for the first time in recorded history, plunging the national average just below 1% of all available space on the market, says Colliers.

Allianz Real Estate, acting on behalf of several Allianz Group companies, has entered into a purchase agreement related to a portfolio of five Class A logistics facilities in three European countries in a forward transaction with German logistics leader DHL. Set to complete between Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, the portfolio represents one of Allianz Real Estate’s largest single logistics sector acquisitions, in terms of gross leasable area, to date. In total the five facilities will cover over 200,000 sqm.

Romania is turning into a hub for logistics and the additional investment in infrastructure will increase the country’s industrial stock going forward, concluded speakers of the logistics panel of SEE Property Forum 2022, held in Bucharest.

Panattoni Park Teplice South in the industrial zone in Hostomice has reported full occupancy. The last vacancies in the Panattoni Park Teplice South complex will be filled by international logistics companies Maersk, Raben and the manufacturing company Exyte. The park was developed by Panattoni with Accolade as the investor.

German company Diehl Controls, a high-tech manufacturer, has leased 18,000 sqm in CTPark Brașov for a research and development centre as well as a production facility. This is the first tenant attracted by CTP in the new project spanning 50,000 sqm that will be completed in the second half of 2024. 

Panattoni has its first development for DTW Logistics – a rapidly developing company from the TSL sector. The tenant is to occupy over 25,000 sqm in Panattoni Park Warsaw West and is to start using the leased space from April 2023.