Immofinanz refinanced approximately €1.6 billion of financial liabilities during the 2017 financial year. This volume represents roughly 60% of the group’s financial liabilities as of 30 September 2017 and covers extensions as well as new borrowings. The transactions will reduce future interest expense by roughly €18.3 million per year.

Patrizia Immobilien AG has acquired Rockspring Property Investment Managers LLP, providing it with a London-based fund management hub with a focus on discretionary capital for global clients. The acquisition further strengthens Patrizia’s global investor base and expands the Group’s network of pan-European offices, resources and capabilities.

Globalworth announced that is has acquired a 67.90% of the issued share capital of Griffin Premium Real Estate, a Dutch entity listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Representatives of the BMW Group, the Czech government and the Karlovy Vary region announced construction of a new proving ground. The roughly 500-hectare property will be developed in Sokolov in the Karlovy Vary region, close to the German border town of Waldsassen and about two-and-a-half hours’ drive from the BMW Group’s main development site, the Research and Development Centre (FIZ), in Munich. The new BMW Group proving ground, which will create several hundred jobs, is slated to go into operation early in the next decade. Total investment will be in the three-digit million-euro range.

Union Investment has expanded its Polish shopping centre portfolio by making its first investment of this kind in Wrocław. The latest addition to open-ended real estate fund Unilmmo: Europa is Magnolia Park, which comprises some 100,000 sqm of retail space. Sold to Union Investment by Blackstone for around €380 million, the shopping centre is almost fully let, with leases having an average of 4.2 years to run. The shopping centre will continue to be managed by Multi after the sale. Cushman & Wakefield advised Union Investment on the transaction.

A Slovak private equity group has disposed of a 6,800 sqm hypermarket in Liptovský Mikuláš with an exceptionally long lease with Tesco to a Czech private investor, Cushman & Wakefield announced on Twitter.

As a response to continued strong demand from tenants in Budapest and Bucharest, Skanska plans to launch several new projects in both capital cities. Marcin Łapiński, Managing Director for Hungary and Romania talked to Property Forum about the differences between the two markets.

CPI Property Group acquired three hotel properties in the Czech Republic and Hungary: a historical building in Český Krumlov, an existing hotel in Olomouc and an office building adjacent to a hotel in Budapest.

The Board of Directors of TK Development has decided that going forward, property development activities will be confined to the Danish and Swedish markets, and the activities in Poland will be divested.

Globalworth announced the successful completion of the non-pre-emptive placing of new ordinary shares. A total of 38.9 million new ordinary shares in the company have been placed by Jefferies International Limited at a price of €8.75 per placing share, raising total gross proceeds of €340 million, in excess of the company's target and oversubscribed at this level.