Bucharest’s Floreasca/Barbu Vacarescu area is the most valuable fusion between retail and office spaces. According to Colliers International Romania, for every 1,000 sqm of offices, there is 35-40 sqm of retail space. In total, in the Floreasca/Barbu Vacarescu area, there is about 10,000 sqm of such spaces at the ground floor of the office buildings, with the rents generated by these holding a share of 4-5% of the total cashed in by landlords.

MOM Park, a 50,000 sqm prime shopping mall and office property in Budapest was sold by a consortium of a fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, Hungarian developer and investor Wing and Austrian shopping centre specialist CC Real to OTP Real Estate Investment Fund. The mall had been acquired in 2015 by the consortium, and since then significant investments have been made in the building enhancing its value as a property and a business.

Retail deliveries in Romania will return to a positive trend in the second half of 2018, when at least 90,000 square meters will be delivered in four cities, with no openings scheduled for Bucharest, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Savills became the property manager of the Zgorzelec Plaza shopping and entertainment centre owned by the M7 Real Estate fund.

In June 2018, Mint Investments successfully completed the acquisition of the shopping centre Breda & Weinstein in Opava from Avestus Capital Partners. The value of the transaction exceeded €60 million. Mint Investments originally developed and later asset managed this shopping centre for Avestus Capital Partners.

The end of the first semester has brought to light great achievements from regional cities in all real estate segments on the Romanian market. Bucharest has also performed well and, according to the real estate consultancy company Colliers International Romania, the prospects for the remainder of the year remain strong.

EPP announced the completion of its acquisition of the King Cross Marcelin Shopping Centre. The €91.1 million acquisition is EPP’s first entry into Poznan and brings the company’s portfolio to 19 retail projects.

Ploiesti Shopping City, developed by Carrefour Property Romania and NEPI Rockcastle, has announced an investment of €1 million in remodelling its food court area.

Focus Estate Fund has closed the transaction on the acquisition of the Galeria Awangarda shopping centre in Bartoszyce (Poland). The centre has a GLA of 6,126 sqm.

The retail market is facing major challenges with e-commerce and rapidly changing consumer needs disrupting the traditional shopping centre model. Retailers that want to stay in the race are already embracing new concepts and formats. The future of retail will be one of the key topics to be discussed at the upcoming CEE Property Forum 2018 in Vienna.