The Arete investment and real estate group signed a loan agreement with Raiffeisenbank for up to €80 million. The funds will be used to refinance the existing real estate portfolio of the second ARETE fund (ARETE INVEST Sub-Fund CEE II) and to invest in new industrial assets.

JLL has advised Rosti Romania, owned by the Swedish company Rosti Group AB, in the lease of 11,300 sqm industrial spaces in Paulesti, near Ploiesti, developed and rented out by WDP. The construction of the new production facility, announced by Rosti at the end of last year, has already started and the delivery date is set for 2021.

Panattoni has completed the development of Panattoni Park Bydgoszcz II. The 36,500-square-metre project was built within the city limits, in an investment area of Bydgoszcz.

Panattoni has completed the construction of the 8,260-square-metre logistics centre for DSV Solutions in Skarbimierz. The BTS facility is dedicated to handling the logistics of two Mondelēz International production plants in the vicinity – a chocolate factory and a gum & candy factory. The project was delivered at the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone, and logistics operations at the facility started two weeks early – at the end of April.

Panattoni has introduced a new façade standard at its parks. The new façade features predominantly aluminium and glass, with a new colour scheme and larger green areas. The makeover is part of the company’s sustainable development approach, which includes reducing CO2 emissions, employee well-being, environmental stewardship, as well as BREEAM certification of newly built facilities with a Very Good rating.

The stock of industrial and logistics space in Bucharest has doubled between 2015 and 2020 with the capital of Romania being the most dynamic market in the Central and Eastern European region and a logistic regional hub throughout the analyzed period, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused chaos across the global economy. Within the commercial real estate market, logistics has weathered this storm better than other sectors, allowing planning of new developments to gradually resume following price corrections. Changes in financing conditions for real estate development may alter the new supply structure, with a likely increase in demand for BTO (build to own) and BTS (build to suit) development projects and a decline in speculative schemes, according to advisory firm Axi Immo.

DIY retail group XLMX, the company that controls furniture stores KIKA, Möbelix and XXXLutz, has leased 25,000 sqm in P3 Lovosice, located between Prague and the Czech-German border. The new hall will serve as a central warehouse for stores in the Czech Republic and other European markets.

The construction of the first warehouse in accordance with 7R’s new 7R Green eco-concept is underway. The facility is being built in the BTS formula for logistics operator No Limit in the 7R Park Sosnowiec complex in Sosnowiec, Poland. The green solutions applied in the project will help to minimize No Limit’s environmental impact.

According to the latest Cresa Poland report, the first quarter of this year recorded very positive results for the warehouse and industrial market. Total stock at the end of the quarter exceeded 19 million sqm – an increase of 16.2% as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2019.