The business environment in China was the first hit by the COVID-19 epidemic, but the fast decrease of new cases in the past weeks brings hope for recovery in the second half of the year, with a positive impact on the real estate market as well. Based on China’s evolution, a similar outcome could be expected in Romania too, mainly driven by e-commerce, after the outbreak peak is surpassed and the number of new cases drops. Moreover, the current situation can bring growth opportunities for certain industries including segments of the real estate market, according to Colliers International.

As the global pandemic progresses across borders and within countries, Cushman & Wakefield’s EMEA market research experts shared what they are seeing on the ground in their countries.

Subsequent to NEPI Rockcastle’s previous updates concerning the impact of the COVID-19 on its operations, there have been significant developments around the COVID-19 situation. As governments, national authorities and companies continue to implement rigorous measures, there is a high degree of uncertainty about the impact of this on the Group’s operations. As a result, NEPI Rockcastle withdraws its earnings guidance for 2020 and expects to provide an update when the Group will be in a position to estimate the effects of the current situation reliably.

This week, the European construction industry calls for urgent measures to protect workers’ health, support economic activity and accelerate the recovery.

Throughout the first quarter of 2020, the total transaction volume on the commercial real estate market in Poland exceeded €2.4 billion, according to preliminary results by Avison Young. This volume is almost three times as high as compared to the corresponding period of 2019, however, in line with Avison Young forecasts from December last year. Robust investment activity has been mainly noted in the industrial and office sectors. Asian investors dominated investment volume in terms of capital origin, with a particular focus on the industrial sector. At the same time, a growing investment activity of CEE investors is continuously observed, especially on the office market.

Getting a clearer picture of market participants’ expectations is more important than ever in these turbulent times.  Please help us by filling out our market sentiment survey on the potential implications of the COVID-19 crisis on real estate markets in CEE.

March was the twelfth consecutive month to see decreases in confidence in the construction sector. The seasonally-adjusted confidence index dipped into negative territory, and it plunged to a three-year low. Since the March survey does not reflect a completely new economic reality, it is expected that construction confidence will fall dramatically in April.

The decision of the authorities to temporarily suspend the purchase of goods considered non-essential from shopping centres affects more than 9,000 stores and each day when they are closed equals €15-20 million lost income, according to Cushman and Wakefield Echinox.

CPI Property Group published results for the financial year ended 31 December 2019. “2019 was a year of many achievements for CPIPG. We grew our office portfolio, tightened our financial policy and strengthened our liquidity,” said Martin Nemecek, CEO of CPIPG.

A new report on the hotel investment scene in CEE reveals that in 2019 the CEE6 markets were rapidly catching up with their western neighbours, both in terms of investment volumes and sophistication. The second annual report by Cushman & Wakefield and international law firm CMS explores the underlying investment trends across CEE6 countries and looks at the various innovations that have shaped the hotel industry in recent years.