Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments at W. P. Carey, talked to Property Forum about the environment for property transactions in 2023 and the company’s focus on mission-critical projects in its portfolio.

Handing over 1,650 apartments for sale and rent to customers, maintaining 100% of the lease level in all completed Resi4Rent buildings, increasing the turnover of Libero in Katowice and Galeria Młociny in Warsaw – this is a summary of the Echo-Archicom Group's operating activities in three quarters of 2022. During this time, the Group generated PLN 125 million in net profit.

Massive construction is underway on one of the artificial peninsulas being created off the UAE's coast. The Czech company Preston Capital is now investing in a four-star hotel complex there. It plans to invest $50 million (€48 million) in Ras al-Khaimah, E15.cz reported.

French company Groupama Gan REIM, on behalf of the SCPI Affinités Pierre, has acquired the Green Court Office complex on Budapest's Váci Road from Codic Hungary. The complex, comprising two buildings, offers 20,181 sqm of office space.

Immofinanz is concentrating on the strategic growth areas of retail properties and myhive office solutions in the current market environment and has sold the rights for joint use of the development concept for sustainable and affordable housing over single-storey buildings to Dietmar Reindl. This innovative residential concept will now be expanded to include implementation by this former Immofinanz Executive Board member under his own flag outside the Immofinanz Group. Immofinanz retains the right to implement the concept on its own properties at any time and remains the owner of the On Top Living brand.

Czech company Jamp, which focuses on property rental, has bought the former headquarters of Raiffeisen stavební spořitelna in Prague. The company is now considering turning it into a residential property. Neither party has disclosed the purchase price. The group plans to make further property purchases outside the Czech market, Nikolina Peričová, the company's Managing Director, told the daily HN.cz. 

Allianz Real Estate, acting on behalf of several Allianz Group companies, has entered into a purchase agreement related to a portfolio of five Class A logistics facilities in three European countries in a forward transaction with German logistics leader DHL. Set to complete between Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, the portfolio represents one of Allianz Real Estate’s largest single logistics sector acquisitions, in terms of gross leasable area, to date. In total the five facilities will cover over 200,000 sqm.

In Q1-Q3 2022, CA Immo was able to increase its recurring earnings (FFO I) by 2.4% year-on-year to €102.5 million in the third quarter. Rental income rose by 2.5% to €158.1 million in the first nine months. The recent portfolio expansions and higher rental income from investment properties thus more than offset the effects from portfolio sales. Consolidated net income rose by 40% to €267.5 million, driven among other things by a strong revaluation result (Q1-Q3 2021: €180.4 million). The positive development in the third quarter was mainly due to the good letting business and the takeover of two project completions into the own portfolio. Following the strong first nine months, CA Immo confirms its earnings forecast for 2022 and expects recurring earnings (FFO I) of more than €125 million.

Hotels are under extreme pressure across Europe and there is no investors’ rush to put money in these assets under the current tough economic conditions. Property Forum asked Péter Takács, Investment Director at Newmark VLK Hungary about the way out from this crisis and the chances of local mid-size investors in the CEE region.

Serbia’s real estate market experienced record demand for office, logistics and residential space this year and this growth trend will continue in 2023. Banks will be somewhat stricter in terms of granting loans and financing conditions will tighten but the overall outlook is still positive, according to the speakers of the investment and financing panel of Balkans Property Forum 2022, organised last week in Belgrade.