Investment transactions worth €336 million were concluded on Romania’s property market in the first semester of 2022, up 13% year-on-year, while for the whole year the sector could generate deals closer to or even higher than €1 billion, according to a report by real estate consultancy Colliers. 

Andrzej Potyra, Head of Żabka Property Fund has talked to Property Forum about his investment strategies and recent developments, both retail and warehouse ones.

Starting this summer, an unmanned Żabka Nano store operates in Aeropark Business Centre, owned by GTC. 

Bucharest recorded 10 of the 14 major property transactions closed in the first half of 2022, while the overall volume of investment rose by 6% to €323 million compared to the first half of 2021, according to real estate consultancy CBRE. 

Hagag Development Europe has received the building permit for the consolidation and renovation works on Știrbei Palace located in central Bucharest. The developer will select a general contractor to start the transformation of the historical building in a high-end commercial gallery.

The property investment market in Romania totalled €518 million in the first half of 2022, up 30.5% compared to the same period of last year, with retail and office sectors driving deals, according to real estate consultancy Crosspoint Real Estate. 

In the Q2 of 2022, the Slovak economy was primarily marked by flaming inflation that puts raw materials costs at new heights. On the other hand, in the same period of this year, the Slovak industry recovered. This was mainly due to the automotive industry which continues to be the driving force of Slovakia’s economy. The office market went through a major change, as most of the stock was reclassified by the Bratislava Research Forum. And in retail, there were fewer projects under construction due to consistently growing construction materials costs and delivery length, the Cushman & Wakefield presents in their new Marketbeat report on the Slovak economy.

Square 7 Properties has started the construction of a new retail park in Giurgiu, with a gross lettable area of 7,000 sqm. 

German developer Trei Real Estate has opened its thirtieth Vendo Park retail park in Poland. It is located in Otwock, in the south-eastern outskirts of Warsaw.

Emma Toma, Head of the Office Leasing Division at AFI Europe Romania, spoke to Property Forum about the developer’s expansion plans in the residential segment and the trend of rising rents in Class A office buildings.