The end of the first semester has brought to light great achievements from regional cities in all real estate segments on the Romanian market. Bucharest has also performed well and, according to the real estate consultancy company Colliers International Romania, the prospects for the remainder of the year remain strong.

Real estate developers pay special attention to the environment by developing efficient and sustainable, green certified projects. With a history of almost four years, the WELL Building Standard complements these certifications and shifts the attention from the built environment to the health of the employees. In Romania, this phenomenon is in its inception and Colliers International Romania is the first real estate consultancy company with a team of WELL professionals – two out of the five that are present on a national level.

Ploiesti Shopping City, developed by Carrefour Property Romania and NEPI Rockcastle, has announced an investment of €1 million in remodelling its food court area.

The accelerated economic development of the major regional cities in Romania is beginning to influence their real estate market as well. According to Colliers International, there are strong arguments to support the increased interest in office leasing and the strong investment potential, so cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi or Brasov can offer an alternative to Bucharest.

Immofinanz has leased a total of over 15,000 sqm in Bucharest in the first half of this year. This is equivalent to 8% of its current overall leasable office space in Romania. The company has attracted new tenants for 8,300 sqm of office space and extended contracts for an additional 7,500 sqm in six of its office properties.

An entire section will be dedicated to the future of Southeastern European markets at the upcoming CEE Property Forum 2018 in Vienna. International experts and top local players will provide an overview of the Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian and Croatian markets, among others. To check out the list of confirmed speakers, click here.

Operators of co-working spaces rented nearly 20,000 sqm of office space in existing or developing buildings in Bucharest in H1 2018, which represents a 13,4% share in the total transaction volume, estimated at around 150,000 square meters, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Israeli-owned real estate developer Hagag Development Europe has commenced construction works on its first office project in Romania, H Victoriei 109. The developer is planning to invest over €8 million euro in the 6,000 sqm project.

Forte Partners has purchased a 5,400 sqm land plot for the third building of The Bridge in Bucharest. At an average price of at least €500 per square meter in the area, the deal could amount to €2.7 million, zf.ro estimates.

Entrepreneur Ovidiu Sandor’s Mulberry Development has handed over the first phase of ISHO Offices in Timisoara, Romania. Survey Sampling International was the first company to move in with more than 130 employees.