What to invest in during times of uncertainty, war, rampant inflation and soaring interest rates? Avison Young presented its CEE commercial real estate investment market overview after the first half of 2022.

Hungarian investor-developer Wing has sold the Family Center retail park in the Western Hungarian city of Szombathely to local investor Unione Investment Group. Family Center Szombathely, with 28 shops and seasonally changing stalls, was acquired by Wing at the beginning of 2018 and has now been sold to the new owner with almost 100% occupancy.

The total volume of investment transactions in H1 2022 amounted to almost €2.9 billion, which was more than 40% more than in the same period last year. The high value of investments demonstrates investors' continued strong interest in Polish investment products in all major categories, despite the new geopolitical situation and the war in Ukraine. AXI IMMO experts analyze the situation of individual sectors in the investment market in the first half of 2022 in Poland.

In the first half of the year, investors were as eager to locate capital in Central and Eastern Europe as in Western real estate markets. However, global economic changes and the uncertainty they bring mean that investment decisions are now more and more often withheld. According to Walter Herz advisers, the annual results may not be as good as the six-month results.

The Rome City Hall has not approved the plan to build a new stadium for the AS Roma football club on a brownfield site, which until recently was the favourite for this development and which is owned by the CPIPG group. According to the Italian media, the group wanted to invest €5 billion there. Its further Italian expansion is thus slowing down. Alongside the impact of the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, this is another blow to the group's business plans in Italy, writes E15.cz.

German optic company Fielmann wants to set up a new highly automated fulfilment centre for its markets across Europe and therefore signed an agreement about a future lease in Garbe Park Chomutov. The company plans to occupy approximately 30,000 sqm and the planned investment is up to €65 million. This will create 500 jobs in the region, Garbe announced.

MLP Group's financial condition remains strong, as demonstrated by its reported H1 2022 performance figures. In the first six months of the year, the Group’s net asset value (NAV) went up 26%, to PLN 2.3 billion. The value of its investment properties rose 25%, to more than PLN 4.2 billion. Consolidated revenue increased 26% y-o-y, to PLN 123.2 million. Net rental income, on the other hand, rose 22% y-o-y, to PLN 90.4 million. Operating profit rose 181%, to PLN 577.2 million. For the first half of this year, MLP Group posted PLN 433.9 million in net profit, an over 2.5-fold improvement (+161%) relative to the same period last year.

Affiliates of Lone Star Funds have acquired a real estate package from Cavatina Holding S.A. After announcing their intention to go ahead with the deal in June, the parties managed to quickly bring it to a conclusion. Carbon Tower in Wrocław, Ocean Office Park A and Tischnera Office in Kraków offer a total of nearly 66,000 sqm of GLA with an average lease rate of approx. 90%. The deal amounted to more than €139 million.

The Slatina Shopping Park, located in Southern Romania, has reached a total commercial area of 8,700 sqm following an extension completed by Square 7 Properties and Mitiska REIM investment fund. 

Existing income-producing assets with a reasonable capital value per sqm and strong tenants will be a winner for many investors in the upcoming period. Avison Young has published its CEE property investment market report for H1 2022.