Commercial land prices have been stable over the first half of 2019, while prices for residential sites continue their rising trend at a slower pace, according to Colliers International.

Cromwell Property Group has exercised its pre-emptive right to acquire a third-party investor interest in the Cromwell Polish Retail Fund (CPRF), which it has managed since acquiring the investment and asset manager from GE Capital Real Estate in 2013. The fund contains seven catchment dominating shopping centres with a gross asset value of circa €600 million. Since taking over the management of the fund, Cromwell has completed several major asset management initiatives including several refurbishments and expansions, as well as numerous lettings including a 170,000 sqm deal with Auchan and Schiever Polska across eight long-term leases in 2015.

According to Colliers International’s latest “FDI into CEE infographic”, high numbers of Global Fortune 500 companies in the CEE-6 are being largely driven from Automotive, Industrials, Food, Beverages & Tobacco, Telecom & Media and Transportation sectors. Whilst Poland is the biggest economy, the ratio of the Fortune Global 500 companies present versus population size is much higher in Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Immofinanz is driving the steady growth of its Stop Shop retail park brand, as previously announced, with a next step that includes the expansion of the portfolio to 90 locations. The most recent acquisitions include six fully rented retail parks in Slovenia and Poland with roughly 54,000 sqm of rentable space. The annual rental income based on invoiced rents amounts to approximately €6.6 million, which represents a gross return of 8.6%.

According to JLL, the value of real estate investment transactions in Central and Eastern Europe totalled more than €5.47 billion in H1 2019. Poland is the clear front-runner accounting for €2.72 billion (almost 50% share), followed by the Czech Republic with €1.68 billion (30%). In both countries, Asian investors, particularly those from South Korea, have been remarkably active. Total volumes in Hungary amounted to €400 million, while in Romania and Slovakia total volumes hit €338 and €350 million respectively.

pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank provided an investment loan and a VAT facility totalling €52 million to an open-ended special alternative fund managed by Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate. The fund will use the proceeds for the acquisition of the newly built White House office building in Budapest from developer GTC. pbb acted as arranger and sole lender under the facilities.

The Romanian real estate market recorded good results in the first half of 2019, with activity on office and investment segments getting more dynamic than that of some CEE peers. With the full-year GDP expansion figure likely to top 4%, Romania also remains an outlier in terms of economic performance when compared to other CEE economies. According to Colliers International Romania, there is a favourable perspective for the Romanian real estate market that could be maintained by year-end.

Joki Sp. z o.o. - a subsidiary of Marvipol Development - has finalized the purchase of a plot of around ​​2.6 ha, located on Bokserska Street in Warsaw. The transaction value is €12.44 million (PLN 54.3 million). The sale process was organized by experts from the international advisory firm JLL representing the vendor.a

Following the acquisition of the Warsaw Spire Tower high-rise, Immofinanz is taking a further step to optimise its office portfolio in Warsaw. A new multifunctional concept was prepared for the EMPARK office location, which originally covered 117,000 sqm of rentable space, to meet the demand for mixed-use through the inclusion of residential and commercial areas. Immofinanz plans to concentrate on the management and further modernisation of the four EMPARK office buildings, while the section designated for housing will be sold to the Polish developer Echo Investment.

Over recent years, Romania has become one of Central Eastern Europe’s most attractive regions to start operations in. According to research by JLL, by the end of 2020 the country is expected to become the second largest economy in the CEE and continues to attract investors from all over the world – not only from Europe, but also those from South Africa, the USA and China.