Retail centres face pressure from different angles and most of them have started refurbishment programs including energy efficiency investments. Is that enough or do they need to invest more to keep up? Property Forum asked Judit Balatoni, Secretary General of the Hungarian Council of Shopping Centres (HCSC) about the ways operators meet current challenges.

Echo Investment and AFI Europe presented their new, refreshed project of a large mixed-use investment in the very centre of Warsaw, in a quarter bounded by the streets of Towarowa, Pańska and Miedziana. In this location, offices and apartments for sale and rent are to be created as well as restaurants and service outlet units. The remaining industrial infrastructure in Wola is to be integrated into the Słowa Polskiego public park. 

With scheduled retail deliveries of around 260,000 sqm across Romania, this year may turn out to have the heaviest pipeline calendar since 2011, which would add to the existing stock of more than 4.1 million sqm, according to real estate consultancy Colliers. 

Amadeus Real Estate in Prague is reconstructing a cultural monument from the 1970s - the OD Máj department store. According to the developer's estimate, the reconstruction, which is being carried out by the construction company Metrostav, will cost CZK 4 billion, i.e. €166.7 million. OD Máj should be reopened within a year and should offer a restaurant with a view in addition to shops and a gallery, reports ČTK.

The hypermarket chain has switched on 420 kWp of rooftop solar panels, bringing the total number of facilities to six. The two new sites are located in the southern city of Petrich and in the capital's Mladost 4 district. By the end of the ear, the retail leader plans to put into operation three more photovoltaic installations.

The Bulgarian commercial property market in 2023 will maintain activity around last year's levels. Main buyers are again expected to be local investors with sufficient funds or being able to obtain favourable credit terms. This is what Cushman & Wakefield Forton is forecasting for the period. C&W Forton estimates the total volume of commercial property transactions in 2022 to be just over €270 million. Transactions with traditional market assets – office and retail space – are predominant, while there is also a stir in the industrial property segment

Sonae Sierra will be responsible for managing Prishtina Mall, the largest shopping centre in Southeastern Europe, which is scheduled to open today. With a GLA of 115,000 sqm, Prishtina Mall is positioned as a regional centre intended to serve the surrounding area of the Balkans.

Żabka Polska is preparing to open a new logistics centre in Małopole by Radzymin near Warsaw. It will be one of the largest and most innovative logistics centres in Europe. The launch of the new facility with an area of approximately 60,000 sqm is planned for the second quarter of 2023. Thanks to this investment, more than 600 people will find work in the region - employed directly by Żabka or in companies cooperating with it. 

The relocation process of manufacturing and business operations to Bulgaria following the geopolitical pressure gives the country a decent chance of attracting foreign investments. Despite the prediction of a recession in 2023, the expectations are for opportunities in some sectors and for investors to focus on high–quality and sustainable product. The trend is outlined by Colliers in their latest country report.

Chris Dinsdale will take up a position as president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, the operator of Calgary International Airport in Canada, Budapest Airport announced.