The Iulius Company has commenced the works for the retail component included in the Openville Timişoara project, the largest mixed-use development in the west of Romania. The first phase of the project integrating the current Iulius Mall Timişoara is set for completion in Q4 2018 and will include 47,000 sqm of additional retail premises, 100,000 sqm of Class A offices, a park, a traffic underpass, as well as more than 1,500 new parking places.

Market Central Ferihegy, one of the largest retail parks in Hungary, and adjacent office complex Quadrum have been acquired by Erste Real Estate Fund. According to Erste Asset Management, growth of the economy and expansion of the retail market in Hungary may facilitate higher rent, representing favourable outlooks for future returns of real estate funds.

Czech online retailer alza.cz has opened a new self-service concept store at Prague’s Flora metro station. The retailer has branded the new concept ‘the store of the future’. The store, which is able to serve 1,000 costumers daily, operates with no staff and offers 24-hour accessibility.

In 2017 20 new foreign retail brands entered Poland and over 330,000 sqm of shopping centre space were delivered to market. The retail transaction volume exceeded €1.9 billion. JLL highlighted the results on the retail market in Poland for 2017.

The Polish retail market witnessed a large number of interesting developments throughout 2017. Magdalena Sadal, Head of Retail Research and Advisory at Cresa Poland presented an outlook for 2018.

Carrefour opened a new hypermarket in Warsaw. Its customers will be able to take advantage of its digital solutions, as well as range of new commercial concepts, including m-commerce type services, a restaurant right in the heart of the store and a line of checkouts that is not quite what they'll be expecting.

In 2017, Green Caffe Nero, TK Maxx, Dla Spania, KappAhl, Newbie, Home&Deco, Good Label, T-Mobile and Forever 21 opened twelve new stores across Poland totalling more than 9,800 sqm of floorspace. Each project was delivered by the Retail Agency team of Cushman & Wakefield.

Immofinanz refinanced approximately €1.6 billion of financial liabilities during the 2017 financial year. This volume represents roughly 60% of the group’s financial liabilities as of 30 September 2017 and covers extensions as well as new borrowings. The transactions will reduce future interest expense by roughly €18.3 million per year.

A Slovak private equity group has disposed of a 6,800 sqm hypermarket in Liptovský Mikuláš with an exceptionally long lease with Tesco to a Czech private investor, Cushman & Wakefield announced on Twitter.

Shopping centres of the future will become just ‘centres’ and will reinvent themselves as mixed-use destinations. Healthcare, educational and leisure facilities will all become a fundamental part of the shopping centre, according to new insights from the Future of Retail 2030, by CBRE.