A good location is the key to success in retail. It may, however, take some time before a suitable store is found for a brand entering the Polish market. Most brands want to open their first stores in Warsaw. That’s why retailers would rather wait than start off somewhere else, says Szymon Łukasik, Head of Retail Department at Cresa Poland.

One of the most active industrial and logistics developers of the region has announced major expansion plans for Hungary this year. CTP hopes to increase the value of its Hungarian portfolio to €320 million by the end of 2018 from the current €250 million. Rudolf Nemes, CTP’s Country Manager for Hungary talked about changing tenant needs and challenges on the labour market.

Valuers are often listed among the professionals most likely to be affected by technology but few believe that all of their tasks can be done by robots. Stewart Thomson, Country Head for the Czech Republic at BNP Paribas Real Estate shared his expectations for the investment market and the future of the valuation business.

Investor demand remains very strong on the Czech market and it seems that the only thing that can limit further growth is the lack of available product in most market segments. Mike Atwell, Regional Director, Head of Capital Markets Czech Republic and Leader Director CEE Capital Markets at JLL shared his expectations for the Czech market.

In recent years student housing has emerged as a highly attractive investment product on European markets. With the number of international students set to grow further and supply still limited, the future of this asset class seems bright. Stefan Kolibar, Head of Marketing at StudentMarketing talked about recent market developments.

Although the Czech property investment market continues to boom, it is likely that the total investment volume for 2018 will be lower than it was in 2017. Omar Sattar MRICS, Managing Director of Colliers International Czech Republic shared his predictions for the future of the Czech investment market.

With consumer habits changing rapidly and technology reshaping the entire real estate industry, the only way for shopping centres to stay in the race is to innovate. Ingo Nissen, Sonae Sierra’s Managing Director for Romania talked about the future of retail and the Romanian retail market in particular.

The CEO of CTP believes that logistics is a future-proof investment product that can make or break a company's success. The developer is moving ahead with full speed and hopes to increase its portfolio to 8 million sqm within the next few years. Remon Vos talked to Property Forum in Budapest about current plans and the future of industrial/logistics as an asset class.

Ikea’s presence is growing rapidly in the SEE region. Construction is underway at the second store in Bucharest and there are further plans for new developments. Viviana Pavel, Real Estate and Development Manager at Ikea South East Europe shared her thoughts on the retail market, e-commerce and the company’s regional expansion.

Landlords and tenants have become more educated in recent years. Landlords know better what to request from PM providers and tenants know what they should expect in a modern office building. Mariana Stamate, Associate Director, Head of Property Management at JLL Romania provided an overview of the property management business in Romania.