Erste Real Estate, a subsidiary of Erste Bank Hungary, has signed an agreement to sell 57 hectares of a 170-hectare plot in Ecser, next to Budapest, to an international logistics company that intends to build a 100,000-square-meter high bay warehouse on the plot. VLK Cresa assisted the seller in this transaction.

At the start of the year, investment into Polish commercial real estate was dominated by logistics. Warehouse assets worth €1.46 billion changed hands in Q1 2020, which almost equals the annual total for 2019 of €1.48 billion, according to a report by Renata Osiecka, AXI IMMO’s Managing Partner.

Panattoni received a BREEAM International New Construction certification with a Very Good rating. The new endorsement was awarded to the developer’s 60,000-square-metre project for Amazon in Okmiany near Bolesławiec. The facility was recognised for its features, including the water system which obtained the highest possible score.

Furniture retailer Jysk will begin building a new distribution centre in Ecser, Hungary in April. When in operation, the €200 million distribution centre will employ around 300 people and further strengthen the company’s logistics setup in Europe, the company announced.

In Q1 2020, Panattoni signed leases for more than 425,000 sqm, of which 207,000 sqm were taken up in March alone. There was 1,051,777 sqm under development, and since the beginning of its European operations, Panattoni has delivered 10 million square metres, with 7.6 million of that in Poland.

Panattoni is extending a production plant making specialised telecommunications systems at Panattoni Park Szczecin I. Next to the existing 32,000 sqm, the developer will build a further 24,000 sqm. As a result, this June the logistics and industrial complex will be 80 percent completed, and by year-end Panattoni intends to embark on the construction of the final 42,000 sqm phase of the park, completing the entire project planned to total 220,700 sqm.

Hines Poland Sustainable Income Fund (HPSIF), an investment fund managed by Hines Polska, finalised the sale of its real estate portfolio, comprising six distribution parks and the Nord Point office building, to CGL Investment Holdings Corporation Limited. Investing in commercial properties in order to increase their value and then selling them is one of Hines’ core business areas. In 2020, the company plans to expand in the Polish market.

Panattoni developer has leased approx. 13,400 sqm to VS Transport at Panattoni Park Wrocław VII. The tenant will be moving into the complex this April, and the developer is announcing the construction of a further 38,000 sqm at the same location.

The first online panel of Property Forum took place yesterday, where six experts discussed the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the real estate market in CEE. Our panelists discussed who could be the biggest winners and losers of the current situation, what to expect in the logistics and retail markets and how the current spread of remote working may affect the office market and coworking operators. They also explained the possible impact of the coronavirus crisis on investments and ongoing and planned developments.

Savills Investment Management has completed the acquisition of the logistics unit leased to Leroy Merlin in Piątek from Invesco Real Estate, the global real estate investment manager, on behalf of Korean institutional investors managed by Vestas Investment Management.