Despite almost all European office employees working from home last year, the empty workplaces did not lead to a reduction in the expenditure that companies had to fulfil had the workforce been in the office. The average costs per FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) fell by only 2% and amounted to €9,468. These findings have been published by Colliers, Occupier Cost Index (OCI), which comprises data from 29 countries, 3,990 buildings, 26.1 million square meters of office space and 1.96 million FTEs.

Office development has slowed down due to property market uncertainty. In the meantime, employees have returned to offices and companies have resumed relocations. The ensuing supply and demand imbalance is likely to result in a supply gap over the coming year or so which will continue at least until 2025, say Cresa agency experts.

ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, unveiled its plans for the previously announced ESET Campus – an innovation and technology hub based in its headquarters city, Bratislava, Slovakia. The 55,000 sqm campus designed by architectural studio BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group will house the company’s new headquarters and will become a centre of excellence, creating strong cybersecurity, AI and innovation ecosystem for Slovakia and Central Europe.

Immofinanz's results of operations rose by nearly 60% year-on-year to €180.4 million in Q1-Q3 2021 and even substantially exceeded the comparable 2019 pre-crisis level (+29% versus Q1–3 2019). Net profit turned clearly positive at €295.7 million and also surpassed the pre-crisis level in 2019 (Q1–3 2019: €202.6 million).

The Warimpex Group achieved a solid operational performance in the first three quarters of 2021. The hotel segment in particular recovered versus the previous year and there are also successes to report on the office and development side, with two new lease agreements and the start of construction on a property. The Group’s result for the period improved from a loss of €31.2 million to a gain of €2.5 million. The result for the third quarter alone also climbed into positive territory, rising from minus €9.4 million to €0.8 million.

Half of Romanian employees believe that the office needs to be redesigned to create different areas that give them more flexibility and multiple working options, depending on the type of work and collaboration needs, according to a survey carried out by Romanian developer Genesis Property. 

More expensive offices in Warsaw, is it possible in a pandemic? Walter Herz is trying to answer that difficult question. 

Knight Frank Hungary has appointed Petra Holy to lead the OSCA (Occupier Services and Commercial Agency) services as Head of Office Division. Petra is an experienced leasing, property and asset manager with over 15 years of demonstrated experience in the real estate industry, specializing in landlord representation and strategic consultancy. Previously, she has been involved in the industry both as a consultant and as a landlord, which gives her a full coverage overview. 

New office spaces with a combined surface of 153,900 sqm have been delivered in the first nine months in Bucharest, of which 107,900 sqm in Q3 alone, according to real estate consultancy JLL Romania. Total deliveries were up 24% year-on-year. 

The appearance and functionality of a building’s reception area is in many cases the first impression of a company that potential clients and business partners will see. Do you remember the lobbies that truly impressed you? In the same way, you probably haven't forgotten those that did exactly the opposite. Smart systems in the reception area can enhance a positive experience, solve several problems and improve collaboration across departments. Can your receptionist do that too? Katarína Karmažinová, PR Manager at Colliers in the Czech Republic asks the question.