Last year, the total value of land transactions in Romania for real estate projects (excluding the industrial segment) increased significantly from 2016, exceeding the €350 million threshold at the national level. According to Colliers International, about 70% of this value was ascribed to the capital, where land transactions for residential development represented more than half of the investment volume.

The Polish retail market witnessed a large number of interesting developments throughout 2017. Magdalena Sadal, Head of Retail Research and Advisory at Cresa Poland presented an outlook for 2018.

In 2017 the large number of office projects delivered across Poland filled up quickly as occupier demand remained robust. Traditional drivers of demand were joined by emerging trends that are shaping the future of the office market and commercial real estate as a whole. Bolesław Kołodziejczyk, Phd, Head of Research & Advisory at Cresa Poland analysed the Polish office market.

The total warehouse and industrial stock in Poland has surpassed the 13 million sqm mark. In the period from January to September 2017, new supply totalled more than 1.6 million sqm and occupier activity remained healthy. A new report by Cresa describes the current situation as a golden age for the Polish industrial market.

In 2017, Green Caffe Nero, TK Maxx, Dla Spania, KappAhl, Newbie, Home&Deco, Good Label, T-Mobile and Forever 21 opened twelve new stores across Poland totalling more than 9,800 sqm of floorspace. Each project was delivered by the Retail Agency team of Cushman & Wakefield.

Tricity is the third largest regional market in Poland, after Krakow and Wrocław, in terms of office stock, now at 693,000 sqm. Absorption set a new high of 62,600 sqm in the first three quarters of 2017, compared to the five-year average of less than 39,000 sqm, says Cresa in its latest report.

A huge increase in urban logistics property space is required across key centers in Europe in the next few years to meet the exponential growth of e-commerce and the resultant need for last mile delivery in cities, according to a new research report from Cushman & Wakefield.

Shopping centres of the future will become just ‘centres’ and will reinvent themselves as mixed-use destinations. Healthcare, educational and leisure facilities will all become a fundamental part of the shopping centre, according to new insights from the Future of Retail 2030, by CBRE.

London is currently Europe’s leading financial and banking services hub, but it may lose some of its appeal for businesses targeting the European Union following Brexit. Some financial institutions will move their operations outside the UK. Frankfurt and Paris will definitely benefit, but Warsaw is also one of the contenders. Bolesław Kołodziejczyk, PhD, Head of Research & Advisory, Cresa Poland analysed the potential impact of the UK’s departure from the European Union on the Polish market.

Hong Kong has replaced London’s West End as the most expensive office market in which to accommodate staff, according to new research from Cushman & Wakefield. At a global level, the average annual cost per workstation rose by 1.5% over the last 12 months. Workplace density – the number of workers within a given space – has also increased in 2017.