Marera Real Estate Partners, a sister company of Marera Properties, has acquired the historical landmark of the publishing house BIGZ built in 1941. This monumental property spreads across over 40,000 sqm. With an investment of over €40 million, it will be turned into a modern business centre over an 18 month period of time. For project implementation, Marera Real Estate Partners is joining forces with Aleksandar gradnja, a company with proven expertise in residential development.

Cornerstone Partners, a corporate and real estate private equity investment manager, together with Crestyl Group, a Czech leader in developing multi-purpose real estate projects, have entered into a contract to buy Polish residential developer Budimex Nieruchomości. Other partners participating in the deal include blue-chip financial investors. The conclusion of the transaction is subject to approval from Poland's Anti-Monopoly Office.

ESG considerations play an increasingly important role in investment, financing and location decisions across the real estate industry. Four Colliers experts talked to Property Forum to discuss the role of sustainability in the post-COVID-19 world.

CBRE Romania announced it recruited Mihai Patrulescu from Colliers International to lead the Investment Properties department.

Anna Duchnowska, Head of Asset Management Europe at Invesco Real Estate talked to Property Forum about investing in property in the times of pandemic, the new segmentation of the real estate market and likely changes in financing conditions.

Romanian developer Prima Development Group announces the expansion on the residential market in Bucharest with three new projects, after this year it will deliver 640 apartments in the capital city and Oradea. The new projects will bring an additional 2,500 new homes to the market.

According to JLL, the value of real estate investment transactions in Central and Eastern Europe totalled more than €9.7 billion in 2020. Poland with €5.6 billion continued its dominance among CEE countries, with the Czech Republic in second place with €1.5 billion (after excluding the Residomo deal of €1.3 billion). Total volumes in Hungary amounted to €1.25 billion, while in Romania and Slovakia total value hit €900 and €525 million respectively.

For many market players, 2020 was a year in which investment plans were changed to keep more liquidity in the company. Mihai Zaharia, Head of Investments Romania and Group Capital Markets Director at Globalworth, tells us about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the investment market but also about the future of the Romanian and Polish markets.

Hagag Development Europe has an investment budget in Romania of €100 million for this year, according to Ziarul Financiar.

Atenor has signed an agreement relating to the acquisition of new plots in District XI of Budapest for a total area of 82,861 sqm. This new project, named Lake City has the capacity to build a total of 92,183 sqm residential area and will propose 1,326 apartments developed in eight phases. The first phase has a valid building permit in place, while for the rest of the project the building permits are yet to be obtained.