Three years ago, Aldi installed its first solar power plant in its store in Sopron, followed by the unit in Budaörs. Experiences have shown that the company was able to generate two months' worth of electricity consumption this way, which motivated it to expand the initiative. Aldi will install solar panels on the rooftops of 16 stores nationwide. It expects each plant to cover at least two months' electricity supply in the given store.

Investors’ interest in retail parks in Poland has been growing year-on-year. In 2020 this was the most sought-after retail class, taking up the majority of retail transactions. Their popularity has increased especially in the last year, due to the fact that they remained resilient to the pandemic restrictions,  says Avison Young.

Eurovea 2 obtained one of the largest real estate loans in Slovakia in recent years. Funding in the amount of €116 million will be used for the construction of the extension of the Eurovea shopping centre and the adjacent Pribinova X office building. Construction work by JTRE on both buildings is in full swing. The loan is provided by a syndicate of banks led by Tatra banka, together with Slovenská sporiteľňa and UniCredit Bank. The contract documentation was prepared by Dentons.

Between January and March 2021, nearly 93,000 sqm of retail stock was delivered in Poland, a result comparable to the same period last year. The structure of new supply included only two large-scale formats: stand-alone retail warehouses (55% of new space) and retail parks (31%). Convenience centres claimed the remaining 14%. The largest scheme delivered was an Agata Meble store (11,000 sqm) in Jelenia Góra. JLL summarised the conditions on Poland’s retail market at the end of the first quarter of 2021.

Nhood Services Hungary, the operator of Auchan hypermarkets in the country, will embark on the renovation of Auchan Korzó retail asset in Soroksár, Budapest.

Real estate group Portico Investments has sold six buildings from its Romanian portfolio to Praktiker Real Estate and Lidl Romania, in two deals totaling over €8.5 million. 

Property Forum’s upcoming online event will focus on Romania's dynamically growing industrial and logistics market. Leading landlords, tenants and advisors will come together to discuss the potential of the local market from an international perspective. They will touch up on all the key trends driving the market right now, including e-commerce, city logistics, sustainability and many more.

FMCG discounters have been going from strength to strength throughout Poland in recent years and have attracted growing levels of consumer interest amid the pandemic. What are the growth opportunities for this sector? Jakub Sadowski from Cushman & Wakefield talks about the direction discount retailers are now heading in.

The retail park format was gaining ground before the pandemic and continues to grow despite it. Over the past 20 years, the share of retail parks in the entire pool of shopping facilities in the country has increased from 6% to 15% and now they occupy approximately 1.97 million sqm, according to CBRE data. Retail parks remain popular among investors, confirming their strong position, even in times of a pandemic. Their popularity is underpinned by their locality, concentration of stores providing basic needs in one place and a smaller number of customer contact points than in large centres. According to CBRE experts, the current trends indicate that by 2030 retail parks may constitute 28% of all shopping space in Poland.

Pavăl Holding, the group controlled by the founders of DIY chain Dedeman, will have a new HQ in Bucharest. The holding is revamping Vila Hlebnikian that will serve as its main office. Construction works on the 2,800 sqm building will be completed by 2023, according to Profit.ro.