Recently, there has been significantly more activity in the Warsaw office market compared to regional markets, both in terms of demand and new investments. As of last year, the demand for office space in Warsaw has increased, while overall demand has decreased in the region. There are also more vacancies in the regional markets, says Walter Herz.

Romanian investor and developer River Development has announced its rebranding as Sema Real Estate, with all current and new projects to be reunited under this umbrella. 

According to a report published by Newmark Polska, occupier activity on Poland’s largest regional city office markets (Kraków, Wrocław, Tricity, Katowice, Poznań, Łódź, Lublin, Szczecin) remains stable, but tenants are increasingly focusing on workspace efficiency and looking for better quality offices. Almost 70% of the total leasing activity across the regions is concentrated in Kraków, Tricity and Wrocław. With office availability in existing buildings in regions remaining high and estimated at nearly 1.2 million sqm, developer activity remains limited.

In the first half of 2024, the trends that emerged last year were consolidated and intensified in Ukraine’s office and industrial real estate market. The situation has stabilized and the market is gradually returning to pre-war numbers. Iryna Nastych summarised the situation in an article prepared by the Ukrainian Real Estate Club for Property Forum.

The volume of office leasing in Bucharest amounted to 168,000 sqm during H1 2024, down 11% compared to the same period of last year, with the average new lease deal at more than 1,100 sqm, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

The Romanian unit of Strabag has been selected as generator contractor for the construction of a new office building for PPF Real Estate in Bucharest. 

Romanian developer Iulius has obtained the urban zoning plan (PUZ) from the local council for a new urban regeneration project in Cluj-Napoca that will have a planned investment of more than €500 million.

Savills is moving its headquarters to new office space within the Masaryčka project in the centre of Prague. An additional 50% floor space is giving the Savills the foundation to expand its headcount towards 100 employees over the next phase of the business.

Investors originating from Belgium had the biggest share in Romania’s commercial property sector in the first eight months, according to a Fortim Trusted Advisors study. 

Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the property manager of the Vibe office building in Warsaw’s Wola district.