Classical shopping centres should adapt to the latest trends in retail to survive. That includes establishing strong ties between the digital and physical world and defining the tenant mix more accurately. Entertainment is also a must as these centres will have to become beloved community centres as well, says Márk Balástyai, Project Director of the recently opened Etele Plaza, built by Hungarian developer Futureal.

As many as 15 new brands arrived on the Czech retail market in the first six months of this year. Compared with the first halves of the past few years, this is the highest number since 2018, when multiple newcomers were attracted as a result of an outlet centre opening near Prague’s airport. The number of newly arriving brands in the second half of the year has been traditionally higher than in the first half, mainly as a result of the Christmas season. In effect, the number of newcomers this year can be expected to be similar to last year’s 38.

The most exposed sectors to the inflationary pressures in Romania are the residential, industrial and retail ones, with a lot more resilience found in the office segment, suggest representatives of real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

With total investments exceeding €500 million in Romania’s real estate market in the past 25 years, Anchor Grup is looking for new funding and recently kicked off a new residential project. Affan Yildirim, General Manager, Board Member of Anchor Grup and Board Member of Shopping MallDova, spoke to Property Forum about the way in which the developer adapted its malls and offices to the post-pandemic trends but also about the investment context in the country.

Romania is an attractive market for international retail companies which are interested in leasing large areas, often above 1,500-2,000 sqm, according to a report by real estate consultancy CBRE. Bucharest is the leading city with 66,222 sqm of retail spaces under development, followed byu Craiova, Timișoara and Iași.

Investors and clients in Poland are focusing on local shopping centres, says advisory firm Walter Herz. 

Development company Antracit is launching a series of projects in several cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is preparing a mixed-use rental project in Ostrava, an office and apartment project and a rental project in Pilsen. A mixed-use rental project is also being prepared in Žilina and another rental project in an industrial area in Prešov, the company announced. 

The year 2021 has recorded over 65,000 sqm of the space in newly completed retail parks. This is the highest growth of the retail space in the Czech Republic in five years. Behind this success, there is mainly the stable interest among shoppers, long-term lease contracts and tenant expansion as also a surge of interest among investors. Nevertheless, the higher costs are now slowing the construction of the new retail parks. Therefore, a boost in the demand for space and likely push up rents as well are expected, states Cushman & Wakefield in their last report.

Bank Pekao S.A. completed the €10 million refinancing project of a retail park portfolio owned by Newbridge Poland. The investor was advised in this process by the Avison Young investment team.

Zacaria Group, the largest developer of logistics spaces in Sibiu, will open next year a retail park in Cisnădie, Sibiu, following an investment of more than €11 million.