Regional cities in Poland are attracting an increasing number of tenants and more development activity. Cresa analysed the office markets of Wrocław, Łódź and Tricity.

Nordea, Infosys, Fujitsu and Harman opened offices in Łódź a long time ago. Other firms are now following in their footsteps. Commerz Systems recently announced its entry into the Łódź market, says Marta Pyziak, Head of the Łódź Office of Cresa Poland.

In terms of size, Łódź is currently the sixth largest regional office market in Poland. Investors are attracted by the city's extensive pool of specialists and an increasingly strong business brand. Experts from JLL indicate that the increasing maturity of the Łódź office market is contributing to the development of state-of-the-art office clusters in the city.

Panattoni Europe will build the main warehouse for Leroy Merlin in Central Poland, Łódź voivodeship. The facility will exceed 123,600 sqm at ground level, which makes it a record-breaking project in the Polish warehouse market. Construction works are scheduled to begin already in Q2 of this year and are expected to end in Q4 2019. The facility will undergo the BREEAM environmental certification process aiming for a Good rating.

Panattoni Europe has completed the construction of a large-scale logistics centre for BSH Sprzęt Gospodarstwa Domowego. The 79,000-square-metre BTS facility with its own railway siding was delivered in Łódź, at the largest distribution complex in Poland, Central European Logistics Hub.

According to “Occupier Economics: Office Market in Łódź in 2017”, the latest report produced by Cresa, last year’s absorption rate for office buildings in Łódź hit a record high of 55,500 sqm. With office stock at 437,770 sqm, Łódź is Poland’s sixth largest regional office market. The city’s vacancy rate currently stands at 9.3% (up by 3.1 p.p. year-on-year).

Łódź is busy readying itself for an influx of new companies. The city is investing in its road and transport infrastructure as well as revitalizing some of the city's quarters. As a result, Łódź is attracting more investors.These include companies from the rapidly expanding business services sector which are fuelling the expansion of Łódź's office market. New office clusters are being developed throughout the city. In 2018, the city will gain another 45,000 sqm of modern space. However, the business services sector is not the only sector that is powering the city’s economy, according to JLL.

Cushman & Wakefield launched its latest Łódź real estate market report at MIPIM. The report, prepared in cooperation with the Investor Service and International Cooperation Bureau of the City of Łódź Office, contains an overview of the city, its growth potential, numerous revitalisation projects and commercial property market. Its key findings were presented at the Łódź stand at MIPIM by Zuzanna Krech, a Negotiator in the Office Agency of Cushman & Wakefield, and representatives of the city’s authorities.

Skanska has sold Nowa Fabryczna building in Łódź, Poland, to real estate fund manager Niam. It is the developer’s second office project in the city, and the seventh Skanska property Niam has acquired in the Polish regional markets since 2015.

Łódź will become the second Polish city after Warsaw with projects by HB Reavis. The company has become the new owner of a plot at 2 Targowa Street in Nowe Centrum Łodzi (The New Centre of Łódź). According to the local zoning plan, the area will consist of office buildings with publicly accessible retail and walkable spaces on the ground floors. The listed buildings located on the plot will also be preserved. The price of the plot has not been revealed.