Investors brushed aside concerns about the impact of the omicron variant to make the final quarter one of the biggest of 2021 for European property, with major markets posting near-record trading volumes, according to the latest capital markets snapshot for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) released by Colliers.

As of Q4 2021, over 1,100,000 sqm of Class A warehouse space was under construction on the Czech market, representing an increase of 23% compared to the previous quarter and ca. 240% increase compared to the same period last year. The Industrial Research Forum announced industrial market figures for Q4 2021.

Gross take-up on the Prague office market for the whole year of 2021 increased by 16% compared to the previous year to the level of 387,100 sqm. Prime headline rents also increased in Q4 2021 and ranged between €23.50–24.00 per sqm per month in the city centre. The Prague Research Forum published office market figures for Q4 2021.

The Polish Chamber of Commercial Property (PINK) has published figures on the office market in Warsaw for Q4 2021. The data is sourced from advisory companies from the commercial real estate sector (BNP Paribas Real Estate, CBRE, Colliers, Cushman&Wakefield, JLL, Knight Frank, Newmark Polska, Savills) and includes information on modern office stock, new completions, take-up volumes and vacancy rates.

In Q4 2021, for the second consecutive quarter, no new buildings were completed on the Budapest office market. Total demand reached 112,280 sqm in Q4 2021, representing a 38% increase quarter-on-quarter, and a 30% increase year-on-year, the Budapest Research Forum (BRF) reports.

According to the forecast of EECFA, the Romanian construction industry is poised to grow in both 2022 and 2023. The main drivers of growth vary, including low interest rates and excess liquidity that boost the residential subsector or the use of EU 2014-2020 cohesion funds to help boost civil engineering, writes Dr Sebastian Sipos-Gug from Ebuild srl / EECFA Romania.

Christie & Co’s annual business outlook for 2022 notes the hotel sector’s different developments in Germany, Austria, the Nordics and the CEE region. The key challenges were caused by the correlation and dependence of destinations with their source markets and the varying Covid-19 numbers. 

Ukrainian real estate market players, representing cities, companies and projects, will gather for the fifth time in a row under the “Ukraine @ MIPIM” initiative. Ukraine has been represented at MIPIM for over 15 years.

The change in the office market which we witnessed in 2021 was only the warmup for what is to come in 2022 and forward. The sharing economy and digitization are driving the disruption in the office industry and the adaption of hybrid work models from international corporations are acting as a booster. New Work’s annual Flex Office Market Report 2022, presented in Warsaw and broadcasted internationally, provides some insights.

Last year was a demanding period for the office market and a test for us, which we managed to successfully pass, says Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, President and CEO at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). In 2022, we will witness safe and futureproof workplaces, new technologies as well as Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) areas becoming increasingly important, with the latter being subject to continuous intensive analyses as a business trend.