Prague's build-to-rent (BTR) market remains stable in the first half of 2026 while preparing for further expansion, according to BTR Group's Living Sector Market Report H1 2026. There are currently 3,400 BTR units in operation across 23 projects, with the total tracked market, including projects under construction and in preparation, reaching approximately 15,000 units. More than 1,000 new BTR units are expected to enter the Prague market in each of 2027 and 2028.

Poland's industrial and logistics market recorded a significant increase in leasing activity in the first half of 2026, according to a new report by AXI IMMO. Gross take-up rose by 21% year-on-year, while net take-up climbed by 58% year-on-year to exceed 2.1 million sqm. Total modern stock reached 38.01 million sqm at the end of June, with developers delivering 1.23 million sqm of new space during the period. Space under construction fell to 1.30 million sqm, down 11% year-on-year and the lowest level in more than nine years, with speculative projects accounting for 38.6% of the pipeline.

Bucharest has placed 21st in the Savills Power and Place Index Top 30, a global ranking that assesses cities with the strongest potential for future data centre development. The index evaluates locations based on criteria including energy availability, telecommunications infrastructure, access to resources and project delivery capability.

Commercial real estate investment in Slovakia reached €244 million across 8 transactions in the first half of 2026, according to analysis by CBRE Slovakia. Foreign investors accounted for 78% of total investment activity, equivalent to €190 million, with Czech investors representing 73% of that foreign share. Domestic investors contributed the remaining 22%, or €54 million.

Poland's regional office markets recorded total take-up of 307,350 sqm in the first half of 2026, representing a 20% decrease year-on-year, according to data from Avison Young. The combined modern office stock across the eight tracked regional cities stands at 6.76 million sqm, with a vacancy rate of 17.3%, down 0.1 percentage points quarter-on-quarter and 0.2 percentage points year-on-year.

Romanians spent more than €42 billion in major retail chains in 2025, up 5.6% on 2024 and 77% above the 2019 level, according to the Romania Retail Snapshot 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, based on the financial results of 125 companies across 13 retail segments. Retailers recorded an average annual revenue growth of 10% between 2019 and 2025, outpacing cumulative inflation over the same period.

Investment transaction volume across the CEE-5 region (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania) reached €5.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up 6% year-on-year, according to a Knight Frank report. Poland remained the largest market, accounting for 55% of total volume, with transaction volume rising 77% year-on-year. Knight Frank forecasts that annual investment volume in Poland could reach €6 billion in 2026, the highest level since the pandemic. The Czech Republic accounted for 26% of CEE-5 volume, Hungary for 11%, and Romania and Slovakia for 4% each.

Poland's hotel market has entered a phase of stable growth after several years of post-pandemic recovery. More than 2,600 hotels are currently operating in the country, with the number of available beds rising from 321,000 to 334,700 between 2024 and 2025, a 4.3 per cent year-on-year increase. As of March 2026, 263 hotels operated under 58 brands belonging to 17 international chains. "After several years of recovery, the Polish hotel market has entered a phase of stable growth. Demand remains strong, while hotels continue to improve their operating performance. Investor activity is robust, and alongside new projects and the expansion of international brands, the modernisation and repositioning of existing properties are becoming increasingly important," said Katarzyna Tencza, Transaction Director at Walter Herz.

Occupier activity across Poland's regional office markets totalled 310,000 sqm in H1 2026, representing a 21% year-on-year decline, according to a new report by AXI IMMO. Despite the overall fall in leasing volume, net take-up rose 13% year on year, accounting for 59% of total demand, with renewals making up the remaining 41%. Lease transactions signed in Q2 2026 were approximately 1.5 times higher than in Q1, though this was insufficient to offset a subdued start to the year. The largest deals included Brown Brothers Harriman's new lease at WITA C in Kraków (13,700 sqm), Enea Group's renewal and expansion at Business Garden Poznań (11,500 sqm), and Adtran's renewal at Tensor Y in Gdynia (6,800 sqm). The IT, manufacturing and business services sectors recorded the highest leasing volumes.

Manufacturing is gaining ground in Romania's industrial and logistics market, with approximately 28% of publicly announced leasing transactions in the first half of 2026 involving manufacturing space, almost double the previous year's share and well above the typical 10-15% range, according to Colliers. Around two-thirds of demand came from new leases or relocations. Overall, publicly announced transactions reached approximately 340,000 sqm, around 20% below the level recorded in the first half of last year, but 47% above the average for the same period in 2017-2019.