Expo Market Doraly, one of Romania’s largest shopping parks specialized in home items and food products, has inaugurated a new building with an area of 9,200 sqm, following a €6 million investment.

Austrian retail investor Supernova has acquired the Jupiter City shopping centre in the Romanian city of Pitești from local company Mall Retail Rom, owned by Israeli concern Jupiter Group. The value of the transaction hasn't been disclosed, but the transaction was said to be "distressed" with a price estimated to be below €20 million.

Fashion outlet developer, Fashion House Group has announced the opening of the third phase of Fashion House Outlet Centre Militari in Bucharest.

Mitiska REIM has secured a €33 million senior debt facility with Erste Group Bank AG for four Romanian retail parks, representing a combined gross leasable area (GLA) of 30,500 sqm.

A Hungarian real estate fund, advised by VLK Cresa, has acquired the Target Center retail park in Kecskemét, Southern Hungary. The name of the seller and buyer or the purchase price has not been disclosed.

Trei Real Estate GmbH and JLL jointly published a new market report on retail parks and convenience centres in Poland, according to which the segment has followed an upward trend for years, and not even the coronavirus pandemic has impacted its performance. One of the reasons for this is that the stores located here often stock food and everyday products. Moreover, the retail units generally have their own entrances and are directly accessible from the parking lot. Shoppers appreciate this aspect because it makes it easier for them to minimise exposure.

Trei Real Estate GmbH is about to open its 19th retail park under the Vendo Park brand in Poland. The retail property is located in Czestochowa in the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. With a population of around 230,000 residents, it is the second-largest city in Silesia. It lies a car ride of roughly three hours south-west of Warsaw on the River Warta. The new Vendo Park, one of the largest retail parks in Trei’s portfolio, has a lettable area of around 8,200 square metres and a tenant base of 13 retailers. The amount that Trei invested in the asset approximates €11.9 million.

Polish company Scallier, which is developing a chain of retail parks in Romania under the brand name Funshop Park, has decided to choose BREEAM as the certification system for newly built schemes. Gleeds, one of the world’s largest companies operating in the construction consultancy market, is responsible for the certification process as well as project and cost management services. By 2022, Scallier plans to deliver 6 assets under the Funshop Park brand, which will offer a total of 40,000 sqm of modern retail space (GLA). Further projects are in the preparatory stage.

Retail parks have been the biggest beneficiaries of the structural retail changes in Poland over the last ten years. Their number has doubled and increased their share in total retail stock by 4 pps. In H1 2020, developers completed nearly 148,000 sqm of modern retail space in large scale projects (GLA>5,000 sqm). Of this new supply, 67% was delivered in the shape of eight new retail parks and three extensions of existing schemes. Almost 450,000 sqm of GLA is still under construction with initial completion dates set for 2020 and 2021. Retail parks account for nearly 26% of this volume. JLL and Trei Real Estate Poland summarised the situation regarding these projects at the end of H1 2020, and outlined the development prospects for this commercial real estate sector in Poland.

Czech real estate developer RC Europe has opened its third retail park in Romania, following an investment of €9 million. The retail park, operating under the Nest brand, is located in Oradea, occupying approximately 6.500 sqm GLA. Construction works on the project started in October 2019.