The competitive advantages and strengths of the CEE region are well known to investors. But new factors have emerged that may play a central role in the medium and long-term. For example, there is a marked shift from cost efficiency to quality and knowledge-based operations across all sectors of the CEE economy. How is the tenant structure in CEE changing? Does growth in the BSS sector show any signs of slowing down? How do the legal and fiscal structures in CEE countries compare to those in Western Europe? All the answers to these and other important questions can be found in this year’s CEE Investment Report 2018: New Frontiers of Growth by Skanska, CBRE, Dentons and PwC.

Short and long-term European rates are expected to be benign for the foreseeable future limiting any negative impact on property markets, despite news of the recent bond sell-off in the US which could signify an end to the very low interest rate environment that has dominated the current property cycle. Strong occupier expansion, low vacancy rates and limited development pipelines have supported a gradual shift in market conditions to favour landlords, resulting in rental growth and stability across the majority of European markets during 2018. This has supported property values and returns, despite yields being at their cyclical peak, a situation likely to continue into 2019. That’s according to Colliers International’s latest Capital Flows Report, released at Expo Real.

A new player has entered the advisory market in Hungary and it intends to become a dominant player on the country’s dynamically growing investment market. Chris Bell, Knight Frank’s Managing Director for Europe talked to Property Forum in Budapest about the new office, promising business lines and the effects of new technologies.

CA Immo signed and closed a sales and purchase agreement to acquire the centrally located Warsaw Spire C office building comprising of 21,700 sqm GLA in Warsaw, Poland. The transaction volume of the fully leased landmark Class A property amounts to around €100 million, the annual gross rental income reaches around €5.4 million. With this transaction, CA Immo takes another step in its CEE core market expansion strategy, setting the path for continued growth of the companies´ recurring earnings. According to plan, the acquisition will already contribute to recurring earnings (FFO) of CA Immo in the fourth quarter of 2018. Greenberg Traurig (legal), KPMG (tax) and Arcadis (technical) acted as advisors to CA Immo.

Belgian logistics property developer Warehouses de Pauw (WDP) plans to invest €75 million in four properties on three different sites in Romania by the end of 2019.

Prologis has completed the sale of a high-quality portfolio of buildings and land in Europe and the United States to a Singapour-based Mapletree for $1.1 billion.

On October 1, 2018, the Tokyo Stock Exchange approved a program listing application from CPI Property Group for listing on the professional-oriented Tokyo Pro-Bond Market

The first six months of 2018 haven’t been the strongest for the Hungarian investment market but the current pipeline of deals leaves much room for optimism regarding the remaining months of the year. Benjamin Perez-Ellischewitz MRICS, Regional Director and Head of Capital Markets Hungary at JLL talked to us about new investments, rising asset classes and game-changing technologies. 

Skanska has sold the first phase of the Spark office complex in Warsaw to a real estate fund of KGAL Investment Management GmbH & Co. KG, a leading German independent investment and asset manager. This is not only the buyer's first acquisition with Skanska, it is also the fund's first investment in the Polish office market.

Immofinanz has successfully closed the package sale of its roughly 26% investment in CA Immobilien Anlagen AG to SOF-11 Starlight S.à r.l., a member company of the Starwood Capital Group.