Before the coronavirus outbreak, Poland was among the fastest-growing economies in the European Union. What’s it like now? In its latest report, Cushman & Wakefield brings an overview of the macroeconomic situation, looks at the impact of the pandemic on each real estate sector and presents economic growth forecasts for Poland.

Virtual Property Forum, Europe's first comprehensive online property conference was held last week. We summarised some key insights of the panel discussion about investment strategies for the post-lockdown world, moderated by Otis Spencer (P3).

Bucharest has been named one of the top 10 European Tech Cities of the Future for 2020/21, according to fDi and TNW. The Romanian capital ranks as #7 making the Central & Eastern European city with the highest score. Five other cities – Warsaw (#15), Sofia (#20), Prague (#22), Tallinn (#23) and Krakow (#24) have made it into the top 25.

The pandemic has changed the way we live and work. We still do not know whether these changes will be temporary or permanent in nature and whether they will stay with us, even when the threat of the disease is behind us. The uncertainty of the new and unprecedented situation has impacted all real estate sectors to a lesser or greater extent. Sharing of space, which is one of the key principles underpinning co-living, appears to be the absolute opposite of pandemic isolation. Contrary to appearances, this type of accommodation where in addition to sharing space residents also share a set of interests and values may be an easier and more enjoyable way of staying in quarantine, especially for lonely people and those living far from their families. Małgorzata Dziubińska, Associate Director at Cushman & Wakefield, says about co-living in the new reality.

Shopping centres in Romania have reopened on June 15. In total, investments in all equipment, supplies and staff needed to ensure compliance with the safety and social distancing measures that are still needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. exceed €500,000 for large shopping centres, according to Colliers International consultants. Shoppers will gradually resume their pre-pandemic habits and traffic in the malls could return to normal during the Christmas season.

The European construction industry will be hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, according to Euroconstruct's latest forecast for 19 European member states.

The Supervisory Board of Immofinanz extended the Executive Board appointments for COO Dietmar Reindl and CFO Stefan Schönauer for a period of five years as of 1 May 2021, i.e. to 30 April 2026. The composition of the Executive Board remains unchanged with Ronny Pecik (CEO), Dietmar Reindl (COO) and Stefan Schönauer (CFO).

Warehouse occupancy costs are a broad concept that can be interpreted in many ways. The key components include rent and service charges. Utility charges billed according to individual consumption constitute a variable component. And on top of that, there are the costs of labour, logistics, supply chains and use costs of space itself. Tenants frequently forget that rent paid to the landlord is not the only cost of doing business in a warehouse facility. “A service charge is the maintenance cost of a facility that is often part of a larger industrial park - it is reinvoiced to individual tenants by the landlord. Its key component is the property tax levied on the landlord and determined by local municipalities,” says Daniel Kempa, Associate, Industrial & Logistics, Cushman & Wakefield.

The two months of isolation and the situation still fragile regarding the danger of infection with the Covid-19 virus will mark their way into the consumption behavior of Romanians, as they will be tempted to choose more outdoor activities and spending their holidays in Romania, according to a study conducted by the real estate consulting company Cushman & Wakefield Echinox and the research company MKOR Consulting.

After the Polish government announced a major reopening of the retail economy last month, outlets are seeing more than 80% of footfall on average, with convenience centres attracting between 90% to 100% clients as compared to the previous year. Such positive results are due to the fact that these types of centres are shopping destinations in their own right but only offer a limited number of options for spending free time. However, this paradoxically is now working in favour of outlet centres and convenience centres.