Investors returned to the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) markets. Their activity exceeded the volume of €3.3 billion in H1 2024 translating into 41% growth year on year and reaching almost the full-year volume of 2023. JLL experts, in cooperation with iO Partners, present an analysis of the trends observed in the investment market in Poland against the background of countries in the CEE region.

Greykite European Real Estate Fund has commenced its deployment programme with the acquisition of a major logistics portfolio in Poland. Comprising three properties in Warsaw, Stryków and Gliwice, the portfolio will form the initial investment in a new €300 million joint venture with White Star Real Estate, a Central Europe-focused real estate developer and manager. White Star, the minority JV partner, developed the properties and will continue in its role as asset and property manager.

The development group Crestyl is returning the Baroque Savarin Palace in the centre of Prague to the cultural map of the metropolis. The most valuable historical spaces of the newly renovated listed building by Kilian Ignác Dientzenhofer are opening doors for exhibitions instead of the casino.

After Q1 2024, which saw the weakest transaction volume in years (€364 million), Polish capital led the way in commercial property investments, accounting for 25% of the total volume. Notably, the volume of investments by Polish capital in the first half of the year was double that of the previous year. For reference, the average share of Polish capital in the market from 2018 to 2022 was just around 2%, says Artur Czuba, Associate Director, Investment at Avison Young. 

In recent days, Newgate Investment (NGI) has finalized the acquisition of a ready-made retail park in Zgorzelec with a gross leasable area of 5,488 sq m (GLA). The seller was Smart Park Poland - an investor and developer of retail parks. The price has not been disclosed. Financing for the transaction was provided by mLeasing.

In addition to subsidies and preferential loans, the Ministry of Regional Development is planning a new financial instrument to help start the construction of housing in the Czech Republic, reports E15.cz. 

Romania’s commercial investment transaction volume could hit €1 billion this year considering the amount of deals close to completion, according to a report by Colliers. 

The European Commission’s pending updates to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) promise potential opportunities for EU real estate investors. As the Commission considers the SFDR revisions, anticipated for an early 2025 release, investment firms should prepare for greater transparency and closer oversight of their portfolios. Strategic policy and research consultant Lisa Chase (Lucky Fish Research and Communications) has summarised the policy framework for Property Forum.

The gap between offer and final prices is narrowing in the Czech Republic and is helping transaction activity for the rest of 2024, according to the regular quarterly office market survey published by Colliers. 

Construction works in Hungary started during H1 2024 fell by 11% compared to the same period of last year, according to the latest EBI Construction Activity Report prepared by Eltinga, Buildecon and iBuild.