Pavăl Holding, the group controlled by the founders of DIY chain Dedeman, will have a new HQ in Bucharest. The holding is revamping Vila Hlebnikian that will serve as its main office. Construction works on the 2,800 sqm building will be completed by 2023, according to Profit.ro.   

The first phase of Atenor’s BakerStreet office project in District 11 of Budapest has received the final building permit. Located at the intersection of Szerémi and Hengermalom Roads, BakerStreet Phase 1 will be implemented as a Class A+ office development on 17,000 sqm and will be handed over in Q1 2023.

Immofinanz has sold four office buildings in Warsaw to the Indotek Group, a Hungarian real estate firm. The buildings have a total rental space of approximately 45,300 sqm. The sales price amounts to €72.5 million.

Czech investment fund Investika has appointed real estate advisory firm Savills as property manager for its new acquisition Szyperska Office Center in Poznań. Savills will also once again act as an office leasing agent for the building after a short break.

Real estate developer Hanner has inked a partnership with a restaurant operator that will join the Fosta Fabrică mixed-use project, located near the Gara de Nord railway station in Bucharest. The company will invest over €40 million in the complex project, which includes the restoration and conversion of four monument buildings. 

JLL Czech Republic announced the appointment of Alexandra Tomášková as Head of Office Solutions effective 1 May 2021. In her new role at JLL, Alexandra Tomášková will focus on the office sector with direct oversight of the firm's Office Leasing businesses together with Workplace Strategy and Project Management. In her new role, she will also closely cooperate with JLL’s Tétris Design & Build and Capital Markets teams on office-related services.

The accelerated growth of work from home arrangements has generated a new market for office space that can be leased directly by companies that have ongoing rent contracts for bigger surfaces. At present, around 70,000 sqm is available for sublease, which is a record figure for the Romanian market, according to representatives of JLL. 

COVID-19 has fundamentally challenged and modified the way the global workforce interacts, socializes, and collaborates. Flexible working practices, including working from home, have been heavily adopted as the recent pandemic has forced a trial run of remote working for industries, businesses, and individuals across the entire world. As a result, sentiments towards office space, its value, role, and contribution to the operation of daily work tasks are now being reconsidered both by employees and employers. While the pandemic has boosted the shift towards integrating flexible workspaces into corporate real estate portfolios, the fear that the office will lose its relevance is not realistic. Rather than becoming obsolete, it will become an increasingly valuable asset in facilitating collaboration and driving business growth, writes Gavin Bonner, Vice President of Romanian office developer Genesis Property in an opinion piece for Property Forum.

In Immofinanz's Hungarian portfolio, several lease agreements and extensions of almost 21,000 sqm have recently been completed. Thus, most of the company's local office buildings are currently fully leased.

Over 230 real estate projects in Romania have been certified to meet health, safety and sustainability standards and the pandemic has boosted the efforts of developers to meet targets for such ratings, according to Colliers.