Investors are not in a hurry to buy assets yet, assuming those assets may become cheaper as holders are in trouble. Property Forum asked Kristóf Bárány, Founding Partner of fund management company Adventum Group about their preferences in Hungary and the broader region.

The commercial real estate investment market in the Czech Republic is stagnating. Analysts see the year 2023 as a challenging year. However, the market was dominated by domestic capital last year and there is still a mismatch in the expectations of buyers and sellers, according to a Knight Frank report.

The Czech retail market once again proved its appeal to retail brands, with 38 new arrivals last year. That is the same figure as in 2021 when the influx of 38 new brands was partly the result of the postponement of some entries due to the pandemic. These numbers represent a roughly 50% increase compared to 2019 (22 brands) and 2020 (25 brands), according to the Cushman & Wakefield analysis of the Czech retail market in 2022.

Slovak construction company HSF System SK has completed the general delivery of two more shopping centres in Slovakia. In Kysucke Nové Mesto, which is located in the Žilina region, the shopping gallery Obchodná galéria Naša was opened to the public. In Košice, a new SIKO shopping centre was built.

The first Stop Shop retail park was opened in Budapest in 2002, followed by several shopping centres in the capital and the countryside. Today the portfolio has expanded to 14 locations nationwide offering 137,000 sqm retail space. 

The retail property investment market sector in Poland is thriving, thanks to the stable growth of retail parks (above 5,000 sqm GLA) and convenience retail (retail parks under 5,000 sqm GLA) schemes. Since 2016, 160 assets of this type have been finalized, says Avison Young Poland.

Iulius Company opened the second Family Market project in the Bucium neighbourhood of Iași. The convenience retail project caters to necessary everyday services and products in the residential area in the residential area which has seen steady development in recent years. A McDonald’s Drive Thru, Auchan supermarket, Sinsay, and another 23 local and national entrepreneurs provide a customised mix of products and services resulting from community consulting.

Czech real estate funds are attracted to invest abroad, and not only in Poland. ZDR Investments is now heading to Austria to acquire a retail park in Voitsberg, Austria, for the second time. It is now investing €12.3 million. In total, the group has already invested six times in Austria, writes E15.cz.

Trei Real Estate and Jones Lang LaSalle Poland jointly published a new market report on retail parks and convenience centres in Poland. Here are the key findings: Within the retail sector as a whole, investors focus primarily on retail parks, convenience centres, DIY stores and food markets. Prime yields for high-end retail parks have maintained a stable level between 6.5 and 6.75%. The Polish retail investment market saw five banner years of very strong investment volumes between 2015 and 2019, each achieving a transaction total of €2.0 billion to 2.5 billion. The year-end volumes of 2020 and 2021 were significantly lower at c. €750 million and €1.0 billion, respectively. By contrast, investments in 2022 already stood at c. €760 million by mid-year. Accordingly, Trei and JLL Poland feel optimistic about 2022 as a whole.

LCP Group has received a building permit for another retail park in Rawa Mazowiecka. This is the second project of this type of there owned by the company.