Hines, on behalf of Korean investors represented by IGIS Asset Management, has completed the acquisition of the Zalando Lounge distribution centre in Ameryka near Olsztynek. Hines will be the asset and property manager, providing a comprehensive service for IGIS and investors represented by IGIS.

SEGRO, acting on behalf of SELP, has completed the purchase of 7R Park Wrocław in Biskupice, a warehouse project located in one of the key logistics hubs in Poland. With this acquisition, SEGRO doubles its portfolio in the Lower Silesia region.  

Skanska has acquired about 13,000 square meters of land in Prague, Czech Republic, from HB Reavis Group B.V. The total investment amounts to €19.5 million.

Hines has advised Mirae Asset Global Investments, a Seoul-based investment manager that offers comprehensive investment services, on acquiring two logistics centres near Wrocław and Konin, with the total area of 163,135 square meters. MAGI acquired them from Blackstone by purchasing shares in special purpose vehicles which owned the investment and appointed Hines as the local asset manager of the portfolio throughout the investment horizon.

Immofinanz is acquiring the Warsaw Spire Tower Building in the Polish capital through the purchase of the respective property holding companies. This roughly 220 metre-high office tower has approximately 71,600 sqm of rentable space, with roughly 65,000 sqm representing offices and the remainder used primarily for retail purposes. The agreed property value for the office tower amounts to approximately €386.0 million. The expected annual rental income based on invoiced rents totals roughly €19.6 million. The sellers are Ghelamco Group, which completed the tower in 2016, and Madison International Realty, a global Real Estate Private Equity Firm.

Valesco Group, a London headquartered European real estate investment manager, along with AIP Asset Management, a Seoul headquartered asset manager, have exchanged contracts to acquire Twin City Tower office building in Bratislava, backed by South Korean institutional capital, for €120 million, making this one of HB Reavis’ largest transactions on the Slovak office market. The purchase price reflects an acquisition yield of 5.75%. The transaction represents the first South Korean investment in the Slovak real estate market.

International law firm Noerr, together with Vienna-based Austrian law office Arnold, have advised Signa Retail on the sale of Kika’s Eastern European business to XXXLutz. The parties signed the contracts on the sale of the 22 locations in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia on April 26, 2019. The transaction has included both the operational retail business with over 1,500 employees and the 22 properties.

Although the results of this year’s first quarter have been weaker than expected on the CEE investment market, this does not automatically mean than a slowdown has started. Andy Thompson MRICS, Head of Investment Czech Republic & Slovakia at Colliers International shared his market expectations with Property Forum.

Two large transactions in excess of €200 million that closed in Q1 and pipeline transactions of at least €1.5 billion point to the overall investment volume for 2019 exceeding the figures achieved in 2018 in 2019, according to the latest research from Colliers International.  

Leading Cities Invest, a KanAm Grund Group fund, has entered the Polish market by acquiring the Renaissance office building in central Warsaw from a fund managed by GLL Real Estate Partners. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.