The Q4 2020 results of the RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor continue to point to a challenging backdrop across Europe. Both the office and retail sectors remain under significant pressure, with demand still falling sharply amid the difficult economic climate induced by the pandemic. On a brighter note, supported by structural tailwinds, the industrial sector continues to defy this downbeat overall assessment, prompting respondents to upgrade expectations for rental and capital value growth.

In 2020, 28,208 new dwellings were built in Hungary, 34% more than a year earlier, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said. The annual figure is an 11-year high. Meanwhile, based on issued dwelling construction permits and simple declarations, the number of homes to be built decreased by 36% compared to 2019 to 22,556.

Accolade published its results for 2020. Last year saw the expansion of the portfolio area by 30%, almost 400 new qualified investors and a year-on-year return of 10,02%. The biggest industrial real estate fund in the Czech Republic now owns a total of 16 industrial parks in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany with an area of 936,304 sqm.1,200 investors benefit from the rental income which was increased by 35%, in 2020.

Bucharest-listed Impact Developer & Contractor closed the year 2020 with revenues from the sale of real estate properties worth €42.7 million, up 29,4% compared to 2019, representing the best result of the developer in the last decade. In a pandemic year, the company sold a total of 369 units (31,191 sqm built area), out of which 205 were contracted in Greenfield Residence Băneasa and 164 in Luxuria Residence compound.  

Disruptions from the pandemic are poised to continue, according to the Prologis Logistics Rent Index. Lockdowns and other COVID-19-related situations may constrain customers’ operations, though the volatility is expected to be less severe than in 2020 as many customers now have better supply chain visibility.

There is currently a shortage of industrial and logistics space on the Czech market, in addition to a lack of land suitable for their construction. This is mainly due to growing demand and the fact that local governments aren’t motivated by tax benefits to allow their construction. The situation is most evident in the vicinity of large cities, and also affects the growth of rent levels. Moreover, it has also caused a new trend in the form of the extension of rent contracts. The first new projects of over 20,000 sqm can only be expected in the second half of 2022. 

Online shopping is continuing to grow in the European Union. With high street shopping affected by the COVID-19 restrictions and changes in habits and preferences, e-commerce can be expected to grow further. Data realised by Eurostat reveals that over the last five years, the largest increases in online shopping among internet users were recorded in CEE countries.

The impact of COVID-19 on the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector has been less severe than expected, proving the resilience of the asset class, as shown in Bonard’s annual report.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU, compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. These declines follow a strong rebound in the third quarter of 2020 (+12.4% in the euro area and +11.5% in the EU) and the sharpest decreases since the time series started in 1995 observed in the second quarter of 2020 (-11.7% in the euro area and -11.4% in the EU). According to the first estimation of annual growth for 2020, based on seasonally and calendar adjusted quarterly data, GDP fell by 6.8% in the euro area and 6.4% in the EU.

Bucharest – the skyline transformation by 2025, an exclusive investment/destination marketing oriented real estate digital tour, for optimism and perspective after a traumatic year (2020), is out now, published by Romania's Real Estate Yearbook 2020.