The current results of the Polish investment market may not appear very optimistic at the moment, but this is only a temporary situation. The Polish real estate market has a solid foundation, and investors have proven to be highly adaptable, as evidenced by the results achieved in previous challenging years, reveals Avison Young's investment market summary for H1 2023, prepared by Research and Data Manager Paulina Brzeszkiewicz-Kuczyńska.

Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle, spoke with Property Forum about the strong recovery of retail markets in CEE after the pandemic, the development pipeline of retail and residential projects in Romania, and the group’s investments in ESG that are already translating into lower carbon emissions.

The investment transaction activity in Romania recorded total volumes of close to €170 million in the first half of 2023, which is down by around 50% compared to the same period, but the transactions could reach around €700 million by the end of 2023, according to Colliers data. 

According to data from Cushman & Wakefield, Lublin is the leading Polish city in terms of retail space saturation for schemes exceeding 5,000 sqm. Its space saturation rate is 1,094 sqm per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 831 sqm for Warsaw – the most mature retail market in Poland. Paradoxically, this does not preclude further growth for developers active in this market. There is still room in the city for traditional retail parks that are developed in alternative locations - frequently on the outskirts – and are anchored by tenants offering convenience shopping geared to the day-to-day needs of inhabitants.

CC Real has commenced its extensive €20 million refurbishment of City Center one Split, due for completion by the end of Q2 2024. Key upgrades will include the creation of a first-of-its-kind entertainment and leisure area for Croatia, lighting and interior design improvements, brand-new outdoor spaces, and measures to reduce energy consumption. More than 7,000 sqm of retail units will be reshaped to improve clustering, and more than 10,000 sqm of premises will be renovated.

LCP Properties has begun the process of structuring its portfolio with the official launch of the M Park brand. As part of the first stage of the rebranding, LCP has selected 20 out of a total of more than 95 of its existing projects in the country for changes. For three of them, previously operating under the Echo name - in Tarnów, Radom and Piotrków Trybunalski - the process has just been completed. The first stage of image changes within the LCP portfolio will last until the end of this year. 

According to currently available data, 13 new brands have arrived on the Czech retail market in the first six months of this year. Most of them are in the fashion segment (clothes and accessories – seven brands) and culinary concepts (F&B – three brands). The latter are set to dominate the new arrivals this year: at least six F&B brands should come to the country by the end of the year, and other brands already present will open new branches, reports Cushman & Wakefield. 

Emma Toma, Head of Office Division at AFI Europe Romania, talked to Property Forum about the company’s investment plans in the office, retail and residential areas, as well as the solutions implemented in all projects in the area of sustainability.

Hungarian property developer and investor Indotek Group currently owns real estate in Hungary and eight foreign countries and is actively screening opportunities in five others. The portfolio consists of office, retail, hotel and industrial properties. Property Forum asked Krisztián Hornok, Managing Director of International Transactions and Asset Management about the reasons for the large-scale expansion and ways of handling risks in this region.

According to a new report by JLL, total retail space under construction in Poland totalled 387,000 sqm at the end of Q1, with 69% generated by retail parks. In addition, nearly 94,000 sqm of the first quarter’s total was attributable to shopping centres with the largest projects being the Sukcesja shopping centre in Łódź (currently undergoing renovation), the Bawełnianka shopping centre in Bełchatów (already opened in April), and Galeria Goplana located in Leszno. The convenience retail format had the sector’s smallest percentage share in space under construction.