Central business district (CBD) offices, supermarkets and food-anchored retail parks, as well as logistics assets in key locations across Europe, will present attractive investment opportunities in 2021 as investors regain confidence following the COVID-19 crisis, according to Savills Investment Management (Savills IM).

Operational residential investment (which comprises multifamily, student housing and senior living assets) accounted for 27% of global real estate investment in the first three quarters of 2020, up from just 16% a decade ago, according to the Savills Global Living Report 2020.

The third quarter of the year brought Echo Investment €8 million (PLN 36 million) in net profit, which is the result of handing over 301 apartments to clients, the value increase of office buildings under construction, as well as the apartment rental platform – Resi4Rent. The developer increases its focus on the residential sector – both for sale and for rent – which today accounts for about a quarter of the company's assets. Echo Investment intends to carry out most of its projects as part of multi-functional projects, called "destinations".

For another quarter in a row, CA Immo has posted a strong operating result and a clearly positive consolidated net income. The organic growth of the portfolio through own project completions and the continuing high occupancy rate of the investment portfolio (95%) resulted in a further strong increase in net result from rent (+10.5% on the previous year). Despite a positive valuation contribution in the 3rd quarter, the negative revaluation result – as a result of the pandemic and its various effects – continues to have a negative impact on consolidated net income. With the addition of a total of three office buildings in Berlin and Munich (including two own project completions and one portfolio acquisition) and the purchase of an office building in Warsaw, CA Immo continued its portfolio growth in 2020.

Six prominent experts gave a 360-degree overview of the regional real estate market in the post-COVID-19 world at the online edition of Hungary’s Property Investment Forum 2020. We summarised the highlights of the discussion, moderated by Tuza Rita, Head of Capital Markets Hungary at JLL.

Immofinanz recorded an increase in rental income and in the results of asset management and property sales during the first three quarters of 2020 despite the COVID-19 crisis. FFO 1 (before tax) was only slightly lower than the previous year at €89.2 million. After an adjustment for the straight-lining of a bond coupon payment in Q1 2020 over 12 months, FFO 1 improved by 10.1% to €92.4 million. The capital measures carried out in Q3 2020 strengthened the equity ratio and reduced the net LTV to 38.4%. The strong cash position of €601.9 million at the end of September was increased to approximately €1.2 billion by the benchmark bond issued in October and an undrawn credit line.

Shopping centre owner NEPI Rockcastle achieved a collection rate of 97% of reported revenues for the first half of 2020 and 90% for the nine-month period ended 30 September 2020. The total value of COVID-19 related rent reliefs and discounts granted by NEPI Rockcastle up to 30 September amounts to €55.6 million. The company published a business update for Q3 2020.

This year is likely to be the best for the Polish warehouse and industrial market, predicts Savills, with leasing activity already setting an all-time high in Q1-Q3 2020. Occupier take-up predominantly came from food retailers operating without any disruption despite restrictions imposed on other retail sectors and from e-commerce, including logistics operators serving e-retailers.

GTC’s profit before tax and fair value adjustments increased to €21 million in Q3 2020 from €15 million in Q3 2019. For the January-September period, 2020’s results were slightly weaker at €52 million compared to the previous year’s €53 million.

The scale and number of transactions in storage real estate in Central and Eastern Europe makes it one of the fastest-growing markets on the old continent. Investors generally are following the growing demand for warehouse space resulting, among other things, from the growing role of e-commerce. At the same time, the strategic location on many north-south and east-west international routes makes the CEE region of Europe a highly desirable destination for warehouse locations. It is one reason why this sector is the only real estate segment currently experiencing year-on-year growth.