International real estate advisor Savills has reported that investors into Europe’s retail sector are shifting their interest to some of the continent’s non-core markets. Investment into Europe’s retail sector during Q1-Q3 2016 reached €33.3 billion across the 15 markets that Savills covers, down 28% from the 2015 record volume. However, despite the overall drop of total turnover in the two largest markets of the UK (-18%) and Germany (-46%) during this time period, Europe’s non-core markets in contrast have experienced a significant rise in retail investment. These include: Ireland (223% to €1.46 billion); Poland (126% to €1.4 billion) and Italy (119% to €1.8 billion).

American investor Exeter Property Group has finalized its acquisition of the North-West Logistic Park warehouse and production complex in Szczecin, Poland from Waimea Holding. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. 

Aviva Investors and LaSalle Investment Management have acquired River Garden II & III in Prague, on behalf of the Pan-European Fund Encore+ for €84 million. River Garden II & III, developed by HB Reavis is Class A office building with ground floor retail, located in the Karlin district of Prague. This is the first acquisition that Encore+ has made in the Czech Republic.

According to JLL’s preliminary forecasts, the total volume of real estate deals on the Polish investment market in 2016 may amount to almost €4.4 billion. The real standout performer was the retail market which came in with nearly €2 billion, followed by the office segment with €1.7 billion and the industrial/logistics sector with nearly €0.5 billion.

Prologis has announced that Prologis European Properties Fund II (PEPFII) has acquired M0 Central Business Park in Hungary from IDI Gazeley. Two newly acquired, 100 percent let, facilities totalling 31,443 square metres will become part of the adjoining 98-percent let Prologis Park Budapest-Sziget, which currently comprises seven buildings totalling 150,000 square metres.

GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, has completed the purchase of P3, one of the leading pan-European owners, developers and managers of logistics properties, from TPG Real Estate and Ivanhoé Cambridge. The deal, which values the business at €2.4 billion, was first announced in November 2016, but had to be approved by EU regulators before it could be finalised. It is one of the largest European real estate transactions of 2016.

TPG Real Estate, the real estate platform of global private investment firm TPG, announced that it has completed the purchase of A&O Hotels and Hostels, the largest fully integrated, privately-owned, hostel platform in Europe. The transaction will help A&O expand and enhance its operations.

Real Estate Central Europe Group has finalised its sale of eight retail and service schemes totalling more than 16,000 sqm to Dutch investment fund Arcona Property Fund. Cushman & Wakefield represented the vendor in the transaction.

During Q4 2016 the total commercial real estate investment transaction volume reached some €270 million in Hungary, pushing the 2016 volume to above €1.7 billion, the highest annual figure since 2007– according to JLL Hungary’s latest preliminary statistics. According to JLL Hungary’s preliminary statistics office transactions generated roughly 48% of the annual investment volumes, followed by retail (27%) and logistics (14%). Hungarian investors generated the highest share of the annual volumes (30%) followed by US-based (20%) and German (14%) investors.

Skanska has sold Westin Warsaw, a five star hotel in Warsaw, Poland, to Al Sraiya Holding Group. The value of the transaction is €56 million and the sale was recorded by Skanska Commercial Development Europe in the fourth quarter of 2016. The transaction is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2017.