The opening panel at the SEE Property Forum, held in Bucharest by Property Forum, focused on the future of real estate in the context of advancing technology and sustainability demands, both for new and existing properties. Moderated by James Dearsley, CEO of EMEA Verv, the panel featured industry leaders, including Hubert Abt, Max Beard, Costin Bănică, and Emma Toma, who discussed evolving tenant needs, sustainable development, and the impact of technology.

According to the latest Savills Investment Report, the commercial property market in the Czech Republic is expecting a strong close to 2024. The total transaction volume for the first three quarters of 2024 has reached €1.09 billion. 

The Prague Development Company (PDS) has submitted a regular market valuation of its real estate portfolio in Prague of 757,000 sqm of urban land intended primarily for residential construction. 

In Q3 2024, we observed a clear revival in the Polish investment market. By the end of September, the transaction value reached €2.7 billion, marking an almost 60% year-on-year increase. In the last quarter, seven major portfolio transactions were completed, accounting for nearly 50% of the total investment volume, which contributed, among other things, to a recovery in the warehouse market, says Avison Young experts. 

Meta Estate Trust has invested in a plot of land near Victoriei Square in central Bucharest, where it plans to develop a building that will be leased to a chain of private medical clinics.

W. P. Carey, a leading net lease REIT specialising in corporate sale-leasebacks, build-to-suits and the acquisition of single-tenant net lease properties, has announced the sale-leaseback of 123 retail stores in Poland. 114 stores were acquired in July, with the remaining nine stores acquired in September. The portfolio is triple-net leased to Żabka, a leading Polish convenience retailer, for a term of 20 years.

This year the Polish investment market has been dominated by two strong foreign players, coming from the UK and the Czech Republic. Investors from the latter country are increasingly and more generously placing capital in the Polish property market. The growth over the last two years has been impressive, comments Szymon Mojzesowicz, a Polish real estate market expert.

Revetas Group announces the disposal of the Trinity One class-A office complex in Warsaw to Longvilliers. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

WOOD & Company has announced the completion of the acquisition process of the Aupark Bratislava shopping centre. At the same time, it has invested in its expansion with the public opening last week.

Investors are still on hold today. As Property Forum’s recent survey showed, two-thirds of investors are expected to continue to take a ‘wait and see’ stance and look for a better vision of the future in the coming period. But, as the speakers of the investor expectations panel of SEE Property Forum 2024 showed, there are opportunities available all over CEE, including Romania.