The COVID-19 pandemic caused chaos across the global economy. Within the commercial real estate market, logistics has weathered this storm better than other sectors, allowing planning of new developments to gradually resume following price corrections. Changes in financing conditions for real estate development may alter the new supply structure, with a likely increase in demand for BTO (build to own) and BTS (build to suit) development projects and a decline in speculative schemes, according to advisory firm Axi Immo.

Savills has been appointed property manager of Posejdon, a €78 million (PLN 350 million) office, conference and hotel complex in Szczecin. The building is entering an operational phase, with more office tenants moving in and the first retail stores now open. The opening of two hotels (four- and three-star hotels) is scheduled for the second half of 2020.

According to Cresa Poland, the office market in Poznań is heading towards achieving supply-demand balance. Within one year, office stock in Poznań increased by almost 11% and amounted to over 580,100 sqm by the end of March 2020. The average annual growth rate for this market in the years 2012–2020 was at the level of 11%.

Australian investor RF Corval has pulled out of a planned joint buyout of Polish industrial and office park developer Buma, Polish fund manager Reino Capital announced in a statement to the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The proposed €287 million (PLN 1.3 billion) takeover was originally announced in November.

The construction of the first warehouse in accordance with 7R’s new 7R Green eco-concept is underway. The facility is being built in the BTS formula for logistics operator No Limit in the 7R Park Sosnowiec complex in Sosnowiec, Poland. The green solutions applied in the project will help to minimize No Limit’s environmental impact.

Colliers International has taken over the management of Biura przy Willi, an office building which belongs to the Browary Warszawskie project developed by Echo Investment.

According to the latest Cresa Poland report, the first quarter of this year recorded very positive results for the warehouse and industrial market. Total stock at the end of the quarter exceeded 19 million sqm – an increase of 16.2% as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2019.

As COVID-19 restrictions are being gradually lifted, many employers are looking for solutions to enable workers to return safely to offices. However, the social distancing rules that are still in place are giving rise to many questions about protocols that should be introduced in the workplace. Savills has launched a special service and published a free guide titled Return to the Office.

On 20 May, owners Tristan Capital Partners and White Star Real Estate opened the retail part of the Elektrownia Powiśle mixed-use project in Warsaw to the public.

MVGM has taken over the management of Forum 76, the office building located in Łódź and belonging to Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital. Sharow Capital is responsible for asset management. The handover of the building took place in March, during the server lockdown measures that have been implemented in Poland. The majority of the process has had to be completed virtually.