Retailers and shopping centre operators are starting to adapt their business models to the changing consumer behaviour. For now, it seems that retailers that are able to create a true omnichannel approach are outperforming their competitors. Walter Wolfler, Senior Director, Head of Retail Austria & CEE at CBRE talked to Property Forum about the future of retail.

Alternative investment products have been slowly growing in popularity for some time now in CEE. As clients look for new types of services from advisory firms, this trend is here to stay. Jonathan Hallett MRICS, Executive Partner | Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Cushman & Wakefield talked to Property Forum about business lines, technology and competition.

One of the most active developers of Prague’s office market is ready to embrace the digital transformation and is actively looking at new projects and new locations. Alexandra Tomášková, Managing Director of Skanska Property Czech Republic talked to Property Forum about changing tenant needs, digitisation and market expectations.

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.