pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, Helaba and ING Bank have jointly underwritten an increase to an investment facility, totalling €67 million, to refinance Focus Mall Zielona Gora in Poland. This facility is in addition to a €164 million facility granted by the same banking consortium in 2016, for the Karolinka, Pogoria and Platan Shopping Centres in Poland. The assets are owned by Rockcastle Global Real Estate Company Limited. The transaction closed in February 2017. 

Warimpex announced the partial sale of its hotel portfolio to Thai investor U City Public Company Limited (U City). The transaction includes eight hotel participations – two of which are partially (50 per cent) owned by UBM Development AG (UBM) – which comprise approximately 50 percent of Warimpex's total real estate assets and which have a property value of approximately €180 million (excluding the stakes of UBM in that portfolio). 

Globalworth purchased a logistics project located near Pitesti, Romania, rented by Dacia from ELGAN, a company owned by businessman Simon Roth, for €42.5 million. Colliers International advised the seller.

Poland remains the powerhouse of Central and Eastern Europe attracting close to half the capital invested in the region over 2016 as activity grew 5% over the year to €5.2 billion. According to Cushman & Wakefield, with the uncertainty around upcoming elections in major European countries and the ongoing Brexit challenges, Poland and the CEE region will maintain their strong position as a focus for any pan-European investment strategy.

Orbis has concluded a preliminary agreement for the sale of two Polish hotels, Mercure Jelenia Góra and Mercure Karpacz Resort for a total net price of app. €6.1 million (PLN26.5 million) to an individual investor.

Peakside Capital has completed the acquisition of Argo Alpha, a Prague office building comprising 12,600 sqm of GLA. The transaction price has not been disclosed. 

Occupier and investment sentiment continues to be positive across Central and Eastern Europe according to the RICS Commercial Property Monitor for Q4 2016. Hungary and the Czech Republic remain the most upbeat markets, with Bulgaria and Croatia also gaining momentum. In Romania the pace of growth seems to be slowing down, although sentiment and projections continue to be broadly positive.

Prologis announced full-year 2016 activity for its business in Central and Eastern Europe. The company leased 1.8 million sqms in the region. New lease agreements accounted for 700,000 sqm and lease renewals for 900,000 sqm, with the balance short-term agreements. The CEE portfolio occupancy rate was a record 96.4 percent. 

CBRE Global Investors, on behalf of the Property Fund Central Eastern Europe (PFCEE), has sold two office building in Warsaw, Poland, Trinity Office Park and Prosta Office Centre.

Arcona Capital, acting on behalf of the Jersey-based Belgravia European Fund, has completed the sale of the Fund’s residual industrial development site located in Chomutov, northern Bohemia, to VGP Group. The site, with planning permission for industrial use, is located next to the D7 motorway close to the town of Chomutov.