Charles Irvine Group LLP and ARC Capital Markets have agreed to merge in an equity swap deal. The new entity will operate under the Charles Irvine name, combining operations across the UK, Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, with plans to expand into Amsterdam and Milan between 2026 and 2028.

Echo Investment's residential business will be integrated into Archicom in order to create a nationwide developer with bigger growth potential, synergies and a wider market presence. The change will clarify the structure of the Group, where Archicom will be the residential part and Echo Investment will focus on growing the commercial and PRS segments, as well as on creating mixed-use ‘destination’ projects.

JRD is merging two of its divisions. JRD Development, a specialist in sustainable development and healthy living, and JRD Land, a land bank and specialist in subdivision development and urban planning. This creates a division with the new name JRD Real Estate. The CEO of JRD Real Estate remains Alexandra Tomášková, who has been leading the two separate divisions from her position as CEO.

bnt attorneys in CEE, an international business law firm with 10 offices in Central and Eastern Europe, and BSJP, one of Poland’s full-service legal practices, have teamed up to create a legal powerhouse. The new firm will operate under the combined brand of BSJP | bnt in Poland.

Property groups Immofinanz and S Immo said they are reviewing further alignment, coordination, merger or other forms of integration, with CPI Property Group (CPIPG) as supporting shareholder. 

The current economic downturn may result in more mergers and acquisitions in most of the CEE countries. Owners of some hotels and retail centres may divest their assets to minimize loss. Property Forum asked Csaba Polacsek, Partner, Advisory Services at PwC Hungary about the mood of the possible buyers and the remaining risks in the coming years.

ČEZ ESCO has completed the acquisition of Capexus, a Czech company engaged in the design, planning and implementation of modern and energy-efficient office space, as well as the revitalization of older commercial buildings. The merger of the two companies has already been approved by the Office for the Protection of Competition.  

In January 2021, Antoine Grolin, Chairman of Ceetrus and Founding Chairman of Nodi, announced the creation of a new mixed-use property management and development services company, Nhood. The change affects ten countries, including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine in CEE. The reason for setting up the new company is twofold. On the one hand, the separation of the real estate assets of Ceetrus Property and, on the other hand, the merging of the employees of Ceetrus and Nodi under a unified brand name.

Allianz announced its intention to combine the strengths of PIMCO, one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers, and Allianz Real Estate, the captive real estate specialist with more than €70 billion of assets under management. This organic move is proposed to strengthen its Alternatives capability by creating one of the world’s most preeminent real estate managers. It will manage over €100 billion in core, value-add and opportunistic real estate across Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific Region.

Immofinanz AG has announced a change in the preliminary timetable for the intended merger with CA Immobilien Anlagen AG. The reason is the planned divestment of Immofinanz’s Russian property portfolio, which is a condition for the merger of the two companies. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board of Immofinanz today decided to schedule a longer period than originally considered for the process to separate the Russian properties. The recent stabilisation of the economy in Russia has contributed to this decision.