2018 was an all-time record year for the real estate investment market in Poland with more than 100 transactions completed with a total volume of over €7.2 billion, reflecting an impressive nearly 45% growth year-on-year, according to Savills.

Hungarian bank OTP reportedly plans to purchase the largest real estate project from Gránit Pólus in the Slovenian capital through the acquisition of project development companies, according to local media. The Emonika project, valued at €250 million, would see the construction of 196,000 sqm of office, retail, residential and hotel space.

ZFP Investments has sold the Florenc Office Center, commonly known as the KPMG HQ building, in Prague, to Shinhan Investment Corp, a Korean based investment manager. CBRE represented the vendor in the sale of the asset. The transaction constitutes the first direct real estate investment in the Czech Republic by a Korean investor.

Fund management company Redside has closed the largest industrial transaction of 2018 in Slovakia by purchasing Trencin Industrial Park for a sum close to €90 million. With this acquisition, Redside enters the Slovak industrial real estate market.

Indotek Group has come to an agreement with CA Immo on the purchase of the 16,500 sqm DunaCenter retail park in the Hungarian city of Győr in November 2018. The seller was represented by Colliers International during the deal.

Dentons’ Real Estate team in Warsaw has advised Hines Global REIT on the sale of a portfolio of five logistics properties in Poland. The transaction value was approximately €140 million. The assets were acquired by Gemini Poland Holdcos, affiliates of Blackstone Group.

Panattoni Europe announces that Tritax EuroBox, which invests in Continental European logistics real estate assets, has exchanged contracts to acquire a prime, modern national logistics facility at Strykow, Lodz, in Central Poland, let to Castorama Polska Sp. z o.o., one of Europe’s leading DIY retailers and part of Kingfisher plc. The total consideration payable by the company is €55 million (excluding purchaser's costs), reflecting a gross initial yield of 5.8% on the asset acquisition.

Tatra Asset Management (TAM) has acquired a portfolio of nine regional retail parks in Slovakia. The seller, which was represented by CBRE, is KLM Real Estate (KLMre). The transaction also includes the pre-emptive right for other retail parks that the developer is currently preparing.

The EBRD and Revetas, a specialist real estate investment advisor focusing on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), are joining forces for the acquisition and development of a portfolio of prime business properties in the region. The EBRD is investing €28.6 million in Project Keystone, a portfolio of premium real estate assets located across CEE representing a total gross leasable area of over 173,000 sqm. The total asset value, including gross development value, exceeds €450 million.

Growing investor appetite for industrial assets, a supply gap on the Warsaw office market and Poland moving up global ratings - these are some of the real estate market highlights of 2018. All the indications are that in the months ahead the market’s focus will be on alternative asset classes and the likelihood of an economic slowdown. Real estate advisory firm Savills presents its preliminary summary of Poland’s commercial property market performance in 2018 and an outlook for the next twelve months.