During the first half of 2023, investment activity remained low due to increased financial costs and an uncertain outlook. As a result, there was a need for more price discovery across all sectors. In Poland, we are witnessing a similar tendency in European countries and the United States, and one of these trends is a reduction in investment volume. The rise in interest rates had a significant impact on transaction valuations and investment activity, leading to a challenge in determining the size, speed, and duration of price adjustments. JLL experts presented an analysis of investors' activity in Poland in comparison to CEE countries.

iO Partners, a JLL preferred partner, has announced two key promotions in the Office Advisory Department. Maria Florea has been appointed as the Head of Office Advisory Department and Claudia Cetățoiu has been promoted to the role of Corporate Transaction Director within the same unit. 

Eden Retail Park, owned by Focus Estate Fund, has achieved full occupancy. The retail project based in Zgorzelec, near the German border, has attracted a mix of 10 stores. 

During the JLL 12th Charity Real Estate Industry Beach Volleyball Tournament 2023, a record number of 58 teams from the real estate industry and related industries competed. The tournament was held on August 3 at the Monta Beach Volley Club in Warsaw, attracting more than 2,000 guests and raising PLN 810,000, which will be entirely allocated to the construction of the third Ronald McDonald House in Poland at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw. Property Forum supported the event as a media partner.

In the first two quarters of 2023, the volume of investment in the Polish real estate market was about €870 million. This result is 70% lower than the first half of 2022, when the Warsaw Hub office complex was sold for a record price. Investment in the warehouse sector accounted for more than half of the volume for H1 2023, with a total turnover of €438 million. Although this result represented a decrease of 34% compared to the first half of 2022, it was still higher than the 10-year average of €425 million, says JLL. 

Most industry insiders were eagerly awaiting Q2 sales statistics. Despite the fact that, effectively, the "2% safe loan" program has only been in effect since July 3rd, its impact on quarterly sales performance was significant. For another consecutive quarter, the number of units sold by developers in the six largest markets was about one-third higher compared to the previous three months. Experts at JLL summarised the second quarter of 2023 in the residential market in Poland.

According to a new report by JLL, total retail space under construction in Poland totalled 387,000 sqm at the end of Q1, with 69% generated by retail parks. In addition, nearly 94,000 sqm of the first quarter’s total was attributable to shopping centres with the largest projects being the Sukcesja shopping centre in Łódź (currently undergoing renovation), the Bawełnianka shopping centre in Bełchatów (already opened in April), and Galeria Goplana located in Leszno. The convenience retail format had the sector’s smallest percentage share in space under construction.

The Polish warehouse real estate market has slowed after a record period of growth that was achieved during the pandemic. Gross demand for warehouse space in Poland for Q1 2023 totalled more than 982,000 sqm, a 35 percent year-on-year drop and an 18 percent decline compared to the five-year average. According to JLL's analysis, however, Q1 2023 was better than the corresponding periods in 2019 and 2020. Most of the new demand was in Poland's major logistics regions.

The 12th JLL Charity Beach Volleyball Tournament of the Real Estate Industry will be held on August 3 at the Monta Beach Volley Club in Warsaw. The goal of this year's event will be to support the construction of the Ronald McDonald House at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute. Property Forum is a media partner of this event. 

As it was announced in April, JLL will soon transfer most of its existing business lines to iO Partners in Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. US-based real estate private equity fund manager Michael Stanton, Founder of iO Partners, talked to Property Forum about the details of the deal and shared the new company’s plans for the future.