David Ebbrell, CEO and Mirta Ceranac Poljak, Managing Director for Croatia at M7 Real Estate talked to Property Forum at MIPIM about investment strategy, economic challenges and opportunities for sustainable growth.

Belgian real estate fund manager Mitiska REIM and Polish developer Karuzela Holding have opened a retail park in Puławy following the conversion of a former Tesco hypermarket on the site.

Paris-based asset manager Paref Gestion, on behalf of its SCPI Interpierre Europe Centrale fund, has acquired the Browar Lubicz office complex in Kraków from Balmoral Properties for an undisclosed sum.

In one of the largest transactions on the Warsaw office market in recent months, HB Reavis has leased 18 floors (30,000 sqm) in the Forest skyscraper to Bank Pekao. The second-largest bank in Poland will become the main tenant of the building. 

Vastint Poland has received an occupancy permit for the K2 project in Gdynia. The office building, with a leasable area of ​​11,400 sqm, was built on Kielecka Street. It was designed to meet the criteria of the LEED environmental certification. C.Hartwig Gdynia S.A., the leading freight forwarder, will be the first tenant to move into the building in September 2022.

The first quarter of the year was another very demanding time for the regional office markets. They have been confronted with exactly the same challenges as Warsaw’s office market – increasing maintenance costs, higher rents’ perspective, more expensive and longer fit-outs as well as delayed construction processes. The future boon may be the emigration of Russian specialists from high-skilled technology industries, including IT, who fill in the talent pool in the regional cities, which are hubs for the IT Products and Services sector.

Macquarie Asset Management, on behalf of its Macquarie European Logistics Real Estate Fund, has agreed to acquire for an undisclosed sum a logistics and warehousing facility currently under development near Warsaw. The seller is Logistic Property Investment, which is owned by the Żabka Group and managed by the Żabka Property Fund.

According to a new report published by Newmark Polska, the first quarter of 2022 was marked in Poland’s regional city office markets by high supply levels, stable demand and a shrinking volume of space under construction. With office availability remaining high in some cities, office tenants still have many options to choose from.

Specializing in ESG policy and operational cost optimization, Westbridge Advisory has opened its new headquarters in the capital city of Poland in April 2022. Danuta Grzywacz has been entrusted with the duties of director of the headquarters located at 1 Rondo ONZ. As Country Head for Poland, she will report directly to the Managing Director of Westbridge Advisory International AG, who is Hajo Engelke. From now on. the expertise of Westbridge is available locally to investors and asset managers operating in the Polish real estate market. 

Skanska has sold the Nowy Rynek D office building in Poznań, Poland, to Eastnine AB, a Swedish real estate company focused on modern and sustainable office and logistics properties. The project is designed and built-in line with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. It is the first transaction between the two parties in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).