Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, talked to Property Forum about the demand trends in the Romanian office market and the outlook for industrial and retail investments in 2025.

Investment activity is accelerating, especially in Poland and Slovakia, while interest from Asian companies in logistics and manufacturing is increasing across CEE, according to a Colliers report. 

CPI Property Group (CPIPG) has signed 198 leasing contracts covering 128,400 sqm of the company’s office space in Warsaw during 2024, which accounted for 18% of the total demand for office space in the city. 

GTC has raised €82 million from the sale of two assets in Poland and Croatia as part of a strategy designed to strengthen its financial position.  

Commercial real estate investments in Romania reached €750 million in 2024, marking a 58% increase compared to the previous year, though slightly below the €800 million annual average recorded over the past decade, according to a Colliers report. 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved its real estate sector strategy for the 2025-2029 period that focuses on green and inclusive growth leveraging megatrends like digitalisation and innovation. 

Passerinvest has been optimising the management and operation of its buildings, this time focusing on waste management. Since October last year, the company has introduced changes in the organisation of waste collection. This step aims to increase the efficiency of waste management, minimise the traffic burden and ensure accurate data for recording the total amount of waste. 

The Czech office market is facing historically low supply, especially in premium locations where new office construction has slowed down significantly. CTP is responding to these needs through its Clubco network of coworking centres. 

Česká Spořitelna has already revealed its plans to move its headquarters within a few years. Its new campus is being built in Smíchov, Prague. With this planned change, which should take place around 2028, the bank is planning to completely abandon its existing buildings near the Budějovická and Roztyly metro stations. The bank has already put its old buildings on the market, reports e15.cz.

Cushman & Wakefield agency has summarised the situation on the Warsaw office market in 2024, a year marked by subdued development activity leading to a gradual decline in office space availability. At the same time, leasing activity remained consistent with 2023’s level. According to Cushman & Wakefield, these trends are likely to continue this year.