Immofinanz is continuing the expansion of its Stop Shop retail park brand, as announced, and has added eight locations to the portfolio shortly before the end of the year. Six fully rented retail parks in Serbia and the Czech Republic with roughly 43,000 sqm were purchased from Mitiska REIM, a Belgian investor specialised in these types of commercial properties. In addition, Immofinanz closed the purchase of a fully rented retail park (approx. 5,500 sqm) in Voitsberg, Austria, during the fourth quarter of 2020. The portfolio in Croatia will be increased by one property in the city of Ludbreg.

The 172 million-strong consumer market of the CEE-17 region  should continue to deliver better growth rates and returns than more developed markets in retail and other sectors according to a new report released by Colliers International

Dutch-Czech real estate investment company Fidurock has obtained a zoning decision for the construction of a new retail park in Piešťany, Western Slovakia. The company acquired the land plot back in July 2018.

French real estate group Catinvest has opened the first Class A office building in Craiova, Romania. The new offices of Electroputere Parc are part of the mixed-use building covering 12,300 sqm that has been completed this year and another similar building with 12,700 sqm is set to be completed in Q2 2021. The total investment cost amounts to €39 million.

Cushman & Wakefield Echinox advised Mitiska REIM to sell a property in Braşov to French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin, which continues its expansion plans on the local market.

The Q3 2020 property investment volume for Romania is estimated at €408 million, a value approximately 68% higher than the one registered in the same period in 2019. Although the road ahead is marked by uncertainty, considering the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions associated with it, there is a consistent pipeline of deals which could be closed soon and throughout 2021. JLL has published its Bucharest City Report for Q3 2020. The report provides a detailed analysis of specific real estate markets in Bucharest: office, retail, industrial and residential.

Current owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is reportedly planning to sell the Aupark shopping centre in Bratislava and is currently in the final talks with Czech investment group Wood & Company, according to index.sme.sk. The potential new owner is allegedly interested in purchasing the asset for around €500 million.

The great majority of shopping centres in the Czech Republic should reopen on Thursday 3 December. The footfall and revenue figures show that customers have not given up on visiting shopping centres in the long-term perspective or changed their shopping habits dramatically. Following the reopening after the first wave of the corona crisis, both performance indicators grew again, and revenue even exceeded last year’s figures in a year-on-year comparison. The impact on footfall and turnover was lower in the second wave, with footfall slightly growing in recent weeks. Considering that Christmas is coming, we can expect customers to return to shopping centres quickly as soon as they are allowed to, resulting in an exceptional increase in footfall and revenue.

GRP Sp. z o.o., the owner of Morski Park Handlowy, has expanded its relationship with Cushman & Wakefield, which will represent the owner in leasing office space in the complex.

Immofinanz has sold another 3 ha plot of the former IUS industrial platform in Brașov, to an undisclosed real estate developer. The price is estimated at around €7 million, according to economica.net.