At the start of the year, investment into Polish commercial real estate was dominated by logistics. Warehouse assets worth €1.46 billion changed hands in Q1 2020, which almost equals the annual total for 2019 of €1.48 billion, according to a report by Renata Osiecka, AXI IMMO’s Managing Partner.

Panattoni received a BREEAM International New Construction certification with a Very Good rating. The new endorsement was awarded to the developer’s 60,000-square-metre project for Amazon in Okmiany near Bolesławiec. The facility was recognised for its features, including the water system which obtained the highest possible score.

According to a recent report published by Cresa, portfolio transactions are on the rise on the Polish retail market. Two of last year’s three largest commercial real estate transactions were retail portfolio deals: the €600 million acquisition of the shopping centre portfolio from Cromwell Polish Retail Fund by Cromwell Property Group and the disposal of Atrium Koszalin and Atrium Felicity to ECE Group for €298 million.

OKAM Global Commercial, a new commercial real estate company founded by residential developer OKAM Capital, has appointed Savills as property manager for its recently acquired office building at 16 Lindleya Street in Warsaw.

Developer 7R has signed an agreement for a BTS warehouse facility for Hultafors Group, a leading Swedish company that provides a number of premium brands, such as Snickers Workwear, Hultafors Tools and Solid Gear, to professional craftsmen all over the world. The project, located in Goleniów (North-Western Poland), will be the country’s first A-class automated warehouse which uses the AutoStore system.  

International investor Aurec Capital has expanded its portfolio in the private rented sector (PRS) in Poland. The transaction of the Puławska 186 project completed between Aurec Capital Poland and Matexi Polska is worth over €22 million (PLN 100 million). JLL advised the investor on the purchase of the property.

In Q1 2020, Panattoni signed leases for more than 425,000 sqm, of which 207,000 sqm were taken up in March alone. There was 1,051,777 sqm under development, and since the beginning of its European operations, Panattoni has delivered 10 million square metres, with 7.6 million of that in Poland.

The preliminary investment volumes for the CEE region for Q1 2020 have reached ca. €3.7 billion, despite the onset of COVID-19 in CEE at the beginning of March. This volume was significantly boosted by the ca. €1.3 billion acquisition of the Residomo portfolio in the Czech Republic by Heimstaden, however, it still represents a y-o-y growth of 68% over Q1 2019 (ca. €2.2 billion) and 28% over Q1 2018 (ca. €2.9 billion).

Panattoni is extending a production plant making specialised telecommunications systems at Panattoni Park Szczecin I. Next to the existing 32,000 sqm, the developer will build a further 24,000 sqm. As a result, this June the logistics and industrial complex will be 80 percent completed, and by year-end Panattoni intends to embark on the construction of the final 42,000 sqm phase of the park, completing the entire project planned to total 220,700 sqm.

Optimum Ventures Private Equity Fund (owned by Optima, the fund manager of the National Bank of Hungary's foundations) and an affiliate of Lone Star Funds (an American private equity firm) have entered into a conditional share purchase agreement, pursuant to which Optima will acquire a majority shareholding (61.49%) in Globe Trade Centre S.A., a Polish company trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange.