Negative factors such as the pandemic, uncertainty caused by the conflict in Ukraine and a rapidly rising inflation rate have significantly affected property buyers' sentiments and decisions.

Logistics provider Maracana has signed a lease to expand its warehouse capacity to over 10,000 sqm in MLP Bucharest West, in a deal brokered by real estate consultancy JLL Romania.

Avalant has become JLL's exclusive partner for the office and investment property market in Bulgaria. JLL carried out a tender process, in which several local consultancy companies were invited and Avalant emerged as the selected partner. The collaboration will be made directly with colleagues from JLL Romania.

With prices still on the rise, buyers of apartments in Poland are adopting a realistic approach rather than wishful thinking in finding a property. The most noticeable change in purchasers’ preferences is that prospective buyers now tend to accept a smaller property and have a larger budget prepared.

The new management board is made up of a strong team of leaders featured with crossectional competences and experience spanning both the real estate market and other sectors. The foregoing reflects the key assumptions of JLL’s strategy in Poland, aimed at providing clients with strategic advice – strongly embedded in the real estate area, and at the same time drawing on the best practices of other industries.

H2 2021 saw the highest number of newly commenced apartment constructions in Prague since 2008. The total number of apartments under construction rose to 12,630 units at the end of H2 2021. At the same time, the number of new apartments delivered was the weakest annual result since 2011 as only 3,700 apartments were completed. Still, the interest in buying flats was record-breaking, the best since 2016 and 22% above the 5-year average, says JLL in its Prague residential market report.

More than half of the 1.24 million sqm of office space leased in 2021 was located in Warsaw. Renegotiations accounted for nearly 45% of the total transaction volume.  However, the main regional cities now account for three times more square metreage under construction than the capital city.

2021 in the residential market in Poland was marked by a deepening imbalance between supply and demand. Developers put up for sale 11,000 fewer units than they sold. Buyers considered flats mainly as a safe capital investment. Had it not been for the pandemic, the slowdown that awaits the Polish residential market in 2022 would have arrived much earlier.

Despite the pandemic triumph of e-commerce, customers are not giving up on shopping in brick-and-mortar shops. Brands wanting to benefit from the synergy of these channels implement innovative formats and compete for customers' attention with technology and environmentally friendly products. However, retail parks and convenience centres continue to enjoy popularity among investors and developers, says JLL.

WDP, the industrial and logistics projects developer, has appointed Gijs Klomp as the new Business Development Manager in Romania.