Regardless of the problems that the measures related to the coronavirus crisis have brought to the retail segment – with shops in Czechia closed for 234 days, the longest period in all of Europe – new brands keep coming to the local market. Nine of them have arrived or will arrive during the first half of the year, the most prominent one of them being Ireland’s Primark fashion chain whose shop opening was expected with a great deal of anticipation.

Retail chain Spar built new supermarkets in a Budapest residential park and in a frequented district of Sopron, and modernised its stores in Mosonmagyaróvár and Szentlőrinc.

Primark has opened its first Czech Republic store in the Flow Building, Flow East’s development on Wenceslas Square in Prague, marking the 14th market for the retailer.

Romania is posting one of the biggest recoveries of non-food consumption in the European Union (EU) and retailers with online stores are set to benefit most from this growth, according to an analysis by real estate consultancy Colliers. 

Starting already from June 14th this year, customers can do shopping within seconds in the first Żappka Store opened within the premises of the Poznań International Fair. The Żappka Store is usable with an application and it has neither checkouts nor attendants. Because the facility is available 24/7, customers can use it at any time of day or night.

Patrizia has sold Le Palais, a multi-let mixed-use asset in Warsaw, Poland, on behalf of institutional clients to the Generali Europe Income Holding (GEIH) fund managed by Generali Real Estate SGR.

Bluehouse sold the Korso Karviná shopping centre (in the Northern Moravian region of the Czech Republic, east of Ostrava) to local investor Conseq Investment Management in this year’s first shopping centre transaction on the Czech market.  

By purchasing a 50% stake in a business partner, Fidurock has become the 100% owner of Retail Park Choceň on June 8, 2021. With this step, the company completed the acquisition, which began in 2018 with the purchase of 50% of building land. The construction itself began in April 2020 with the opening to the public taking place in December of the same year. 

German DIY retailer Hornbach will open its second store in Cluj-Napoca this summer, according to a statement of Optim Project Management, which manages the development process. 

Palača Pošta, a unique high street commercial building in Ljubljana, Slovenia has become available for rent. The owner, Pošta Slovenije, who has been the sole user of the building until now, has retained KF Finance, to act as their exclusive real estate broker for leasing. KF Finance is the leading financial advisory company in the region, with a team of 50 finance professionals in offices in Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade, offering clients a comprehensive range of financial advisory services.