The UK is the 5th or 6th biggest export destination for both Romania and the country’s major trading partners – Germany, Italy and France. Thus, a negative Brexit scenario would have significant second-round effects via Romania’s other trading partners which do a significant amount of business with the UK. According to Colliers International’s estimates, the stock of modern industrial space is still expected to grow considerably in the next three years (by 2023).

Bright Spaces, a proptech solution developed by a Romanian start-up, has received funding of €185,000 for development and implementation. The financing was coordinated by Sparking Capital as lead investor, with Growceanu Angel Investment and angel investor Ilinca Păun, former MD of Colliers International Romania.

Colliers International has expanded its partnership with the promotion of five new Partners. Laurențiu Duică (Head of Industrial Agency), Simina Niculiță (Head of Retail Agency), Sebastian Dragomir (Head of Office Advisory), Raluca Buciuc (Head of Valuation Services) and Octavian Trofin (Head of Operations) have all been named Partners, effective November 1st. The heads of the five departments join Laurențiu Lazăr, Managing Partner, and Ștefania Baldovinescu, Senior Partner at Colliers International Romania.

The Romanian real estate market continued to show a positive evolution, and in the third quarter of 2019, the positive trend applied to all three leasing sectors, according to CBRE Research data. In the first nine months of the year, approximately 290,000 sqm were leased on the office segment, the main source of the demand being the IT&C companies and the financial industry, while on the retail market a number of 11 new brands chose to enter in Romania, among which Victoria's Secret and Burger King, advised by CBRE.

The restaurants and cafes sector (Food & Beverage) in Romania has been constantly growing during the last few years as a result of a robust increase in wages and purchasing power on one hand and also due to the larger number of foreigners that visit Romania for business or leisure. This evolution is also reflected in an increasingly fierce competition of concepts, operators seeking to attract their customers through design and memorable dining experience.

One United Properties has obtained the building permit for the first phase of One Cotroceni Park, an 80,000 sqm Gross Lettable Area (GLA) business park.

Colliers International Romania has been assigned to offer property management services for the first phase of the industrial park ELI Park 1, with a total area of 20,000 sqm. This is the first project built by Element Industrial, a Romanian developer of industrial and logistics spaces, and the fourth logistics park managed by Colliers. Thus, the total industrial portfolio managed by Colliers in Bucharest and in the big regional cities reaches 130,000 sqm, out of a total of over 500,000 sqm that includes office buildings as well.

CTP has launched a new product on the Romanian market - Premium Business Units. These multifunctional units combine office, production, storage and showroom space into one. With areas between 1,000 and 3,000 square meters, they address the needs of those companies that want to optimize their flows and grow their businesses. Adapted to meet the needs of each company, these are premium facilities to modern standards and are aimed at entrepreneurs who are currently in outdated or improper buildings and want to optimize and improve their image and results.

Romanian retail chain Profi, controlled by investment fund Mid Europa Partners, will lease 60,000 sqm of logistics space at CTPark Bucharest West from 2020, according to Ziarul Financiar.

Commercial property investment activity exceeded €8 billion across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania in the first three quarters of 2019, 54% above the five year average, according to Savills latest research report. Investment turnover in CEE has been rising steadily since 2013, by 24% per annum on average, reflecting increasing investor confidence in the region, underpinned by above EU average economic expansion, falling unemployment and growing consumerism.