Skanska’s commercial development unit in CEE has announced the appointment of Alexandra Tomášková as Managing Director for Skanska Property Czech Republic. She will begin in her new role from June 1st 2018, and will also become a member of Skanska CEE’s commercial development unit Management Team.

Neinver opened Prague The Style Outlets, its first outlet centre in the Czech Republic and the 16th centre in the company’s expanding portfolio, which totals 300,000 sqm of gross leasable area (GLA). The centre features over 100 stores in 20,000 sqm of GLA. The new centre is part of a joint venture between Neinver and The Prague Outlet signed in 2016 to create the largest outlet centre in the Czech Republic, with a total investment of €70 million. A second phase will increase the total commercial space to 30,000 sqm in the coming years. The outlet centre will bring over 600 jobs and considerable tourist spending to the local economy.

Whilst Prague 4 is the largest market, over the next two years, most of the new supply will be delivered to Prague 8. In perspective, it could overtake Prague 1 by market share and become the third largest office submarket in the capital. In 2018 and 2019, almost 27% of new offices that are currently under construction will be completed in Prague 8. The largest of the planned projects is Palmovka Open Park, thanks to which office space in Prague 8 will expand by almost 25,000 sqm at the end of Q2 2018. Regarding the intensity of construction, Prague 4 is in second place with 22% of the offices under construction. The third place belongs to Prague 5, where 19% of new construction will be completed.

Investor demand remains very strong on the Czech market and it seems that the only thing that can limit further growth is the lack of available product in most market segments. Mike Atwell, Regional Director, Head of Capital Markets Czech Republic and Leader Director CEE Capital Markets at JLL shared his expectations for the Czech market.

This year´s central topic at Prague Property Forum will be the digital transformation effectively changing the real estate market. The event, which will be held for the second time in Prague, is organised by Property Forum in close cooperation with RICS. The conference has attracted highly respected speakers from the Czech as well as European property markets, some of them being present in Prague for the first time.

The ability to analyse how a building is used and to adapt the indoor environment accordingly is a clear example of a trend that is not only here to stay but will only grow in importance. By simply monitoring occupancy, building managers and owners can reduce costs and increase lease income. At the same time, occupants can enjoy a series of features that make their lives easier and allow them to work more productively. Proptech company Spaceti, which will be featured at Prague Property Forum 2018, introduces its solutions.

Marek Pohl assumed the role of Head of the Valuation Department at BNP Paribas Real Estate in Prague, thus obtaining a promotion from the position of Senior Property Valuer.

Although the Czech property investment market continues to boom, it is likely that the total investment volume for 2018 will be lower than it was in 2017. Omar Sattar MRICS, Managing Director of Colliers International Czech Republic shared his predictions for the future of the Czech investment market.

Gross take-up (including renegotiations and subleases) on the Prague office market in the first quarter of 2018 amounted to 85,700 sqm, representing a decrease of 51% compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 19% in year-on-year comparison. The Prague Research Forum announced the office market figures for Q1 2018.

JLL helped with the sale of an office building in Chodov, Prague. The project on Roztylská with an area of over 9,000 sqm was sold at the purchase price of €9.47 million (CZK 240 million). The seller was PSN and the buyer was Vinton Development s.r.o. It is the largest transaction ever provided by S&MI (Small & Medium Investments) department under the leadership of Pavol Bak.