Partners Group and Northern Horizon have announced the sale of the last two assets, both located in Riga, in their €200 million CEE joint venture to Grinvest, a Singapore-based property and renewable energy investor.

German group Metro intends to sell and lease back 9 of its stores in Romania to increase its competitiveness and efficiency and to improve liquidity for new investments and developments. The offer also includes 6 stores in Slovakia.

The stock of modern retail spaces in Romania has exceeded the level of 4 million square meters after the latest deliveries of shopping centres, but the market development pace will slow down in the next period, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

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.

Retailing is giving way to e-commerce. The pandemic has undoubtedly changed consumer habits, stimulated the development of the online purchasing sector and has underlined new needs in logistics and warehousing. This means that the supply chain will need to be reorganized along with an increase in storage space and moving product location closer to the consumer. As the first warehouse developer in Poland, 7R is rapidly responding to new market realities by offering its tenants facilities of up to 12 meters high. This solution will significantly reduce the costs of storing goods and allow for more efficient use of warehouse space.

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.

The region’s largest shopping centre Galerija Belgrad will open on 30 October. With a total area of 300,000 sqm, Galerija Belgrade will offer local and international brands in one place, dozens of cafes and restaurants, two entertainment complexes, a cinema with the most advanced IMAX technology and as many as 3,600 parking places.

AFI Europe Romania has inaugurated its AFI Brasov mixed-use project on 21 October. The project, located near the city’s historic centre, includes a modern shopping centre with 45,000 sqm GLA and 15,000 sqm GLA of office space rising above the retail floors.

CBRE launches a range of omnichannel services in Romania, for retailers who want a quick adjustment to the new market context by expanding industrial spaces. Omnichannel services have already been present for three years in the global CBRE network, mostly in the United States and the United Kingdom, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the synergy between retail and industrial worldwide.

The share of internet sales has returned to near pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, Polish customers are more willing than before to turn to convenience shopping in smaller retail formats. JLL summarised conditions on Poland's retail market at the end of Q3 2020.