GTC’s rental and service revenues decreased by €3 million to €79 million in H1 2020. The decrease mainly resulted from a decrease in income of approximately €8 million due to rent relief imposed by governments during the lockdown of shopping malls and rent concessions and discounts provided by the Group to the retail tenants across the portfolio due to the COVID-19 outbreak combined with a decrease on rental revenues following the sale of GTC White House in the third quarter of 2019 and Neptun Office Center in the fourth quarter of 2019 of €3 million. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in the rental revenues due to completion of Ada Mall, Green Heart, ABC I and Matrix A.

Trei Real Estate GmbH has taken out a long-term loan in a volume of €51 million through its Polish subsidiary, Trei Real Estate Poland from pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, a German specialist lender for commercial real estate finance. The loan represents a cross-border financing arrangement and breaks down into two tranches of five and ten years, respectively. It is collateralised with 40 supermarkets from the existing portfolio of Trei Poland, the supermarkets being occupied by Biedronka. Trei intends to use the borrowed capital to finance its growth trajectory.

The first half of the “pandemic year” was most difficult for retail players, considering the lockdown during the emergency state, but the recovery up until July has been better than most market participants were initially expecting, according to Colliers International’s market report for the first semester of 2020. In the industrial & logistics area, it has been business as usual during the pandemic, with some seeing big spikes in activity, but a significant pipeline of speculative developments and a competitive market are tilting the balance in favour or tenants.

Ever since shopping centres in Poland were reopened in May, the share of online sales in total retail sales has been falling steadily - it stood at 7.7% in June compared with 9.1% a month earlier and 5-6% before the pandemic. Cushman & Wakefield has summarised Q2 2020 on the Polish retail market.

Atrium European Real Estate has completed the sale of five retail assets in Poland to Metropol Group. The value of the transaction remains confidential. The seller was represented by the Avison Young and JLL investment teams throughout the transaction.

A company from Chariot platform, managed by Griffin Real Estate, a private equity investor operating in the real estate sector, signed an agreement with Auchan Poland to extend the lease of its six retail properties totalling 83,000 sqm. The lease agreement was signed for a period of over 12 years. The transaction is certainly one of the largest retail leases that has been closed in Poland.

The industrial real estate sector remains the least affected commercial real estate sector in Slovakia. In the second quarter, the market recorded solid leasing activity, reaching almost 120,000 sqm of industrial space. Cushman & Wakefield published its Q2 2020 snapshots for Slovakia’s office, retail and industrial sector.

GTC’s rental income suffered a €2 million decrease due to rent and service charge relief imposed by governments during the lockdown of shopping malls. Still, total rental and service charge revenues increased to €41 million in Q1 2020 from €39 million in Q1 2019. GTC presented its financial results at the end of Q1 2020.

The modern retail stock in Romania, consisting of shopping centres, retail parks and commercial galleries with a leasable area of ​​at least 5,000 square meters, has reached 3.96 million square meters and will exceed the 4 million sqm threshold until the end of the year, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

According to data from the Polish Council of Shopping Centers, footfall in shopping malls range from 62 to 73% when compared to last year’s numbers. The pandemic has changed the habits of Poles who are planning their shopping in a more thoughtful, cautious and safe way. In the new reality, small-format shops located close to home are attracting more visitors. By the end of May and after negotiations between owners and tenants had been completed, almost all shops in retail parks were operating. Some of these shops are now recording a turnover of 160% of pre-lockdown levels.