According to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield, the Polish retail market got off to a flying start in 2023, with over 100,000 sqm of new retail space coming on stream in the first quarter of the year and a number of new openings expected to deliver a total of 300,000 sqm. The biggest single challenge facing both retail tenants and landlords is high inflation which has resulted in falling sales for some shopping categories.

Within 10 or 12 years, Penta wants to complete its brand new Southbank mixed-use project in Bratislava. The commencement of the construction of Southbank now depends on the permitting process and ongoing changes to the master plan, which are being overseen by the Bratislava City Council. Once the zoning changes are approved, construction could start within 1.5 to 2 years, estimates Michal Rehak, Business Director of Penta Real Estate Bratislava. According to him, the company does not want to disclose the cost of the project or the detailed schedule until the new Bratislava master plan is approved.

The Port7 office project by Skanska has received the occupancy permit. Port7 offers 35,800 sqm of premium office and retail space in three buildings, 50 percent of which are leased now. Skanska is now shifting its focus to finishing the nearly 2-hectare public park and the new riverside, which is expected to become the new centre of Prague Holešovice. For better access to the entire area, the developer has built an extension of the railway underpass which directly connects the project with the subway, train, and tram station of Nádraží Holešovice.

The gross sales turnover of a total of 1,800 shops located on the 30 SES Spar European Shopping Center sites in Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic continued to grow in the past year. With sales up 18.5% and a €3.1 billion turnover compared to 2021, SES enjoyed a record year in terms of development since its inception in 2007. In 2022, SES invested in numerous sustainable measures such as the large-scale installation of photovoltaic systems and the ongoing interim expansion of e-charging stations, currently amounting to 175 charging points coupled with extensive LED retrofitting.

Avison Young represented a global investment manager in the sale of a portfolio of four retail facilities, located in regional cities: Stara Cegielnia in Szczecin, Galeria Kosmos in Koszalin, OK Centrum Wałbrzych and OK Centrum Strzegom, with a total area of about 15,000 square meters GLA. Information on the value of the sale and the buyer's entity was not disclosed. All the facilities have a food operator of well-known discount chains - Lidl, Biedronka or Intermarche - as the main tenant. The buyer has plans to refresh some of the acquired assets and re-commercialize them.

Situated in the southwestern city of Sandanski, Kaufland’s first Bulgarian retail park spans over 5,000 sqm. The German retail chain invested over BGN 2 million  ( €1 million) in the outdoor retail area, the company said in a press release.

Wood & Company is starting to improve its Aupark shopping centre in Bratislava. It plans to expand it with three more retail units and open the space to other global brands, startitup.sk reports.

The developers of Belvedere Residence in northern Bucharest sold the commercial gallery on the ground floor of the residential buildings within the complex to a private investor for an undisclosed sum. 

In March 2023, the Delta Planet Mall retail centre, located in Varna, Bulgaria, inaugurated an innovative photovoltaic solar installation. The investment of nearly €500,000 (BGN 1 million) covers the construction of 1,029 solar panels with a total capacity of 556 kW.

With a €10 million investment, M Core has made another commitment to its portfolio in Poland through the announcement of the Świdnik M Park development. At 7,700 ssqm, the retail park will be the largest development for M Core in Poland and the first created under the M Park brand, built by LCP Properties — one of the five property entities that sits under the M Core umbrella.