CTP recently closed on two acquisitions, known among the CEE real estate industry as the Aviva and IPEC deals. The company acquired two buildings in the Czech Republic and two buildings in Romania. At the same time, CTP disposed of two non-core assets in Bratislava and Prague.

Following the expansion in Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw, Cordia has re-entered the Romanian capital with a 400 apartment development. Futureal Group’s residential subsidiary acquired 13 plots with a total area of 15,336 sqm in Bucharest where the project will be developed.

Net take-up of office spaces in Bucharest amounted to almost 80,000 sqm in the first half of the year, which means an additional 10,000 jobs, considering that companies usually allocate for each employee 8 square meters. In total, gross take-up reached 185,000 sqm in H1 2017, a small decrease when compared to first 6 month of last year (192,000 sqm), JLL reports.

CTP, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and BCR announced the closing of a credit facility totalling €75.8 million, of which €36.7 million were granted by EBRD and €39.1 million by BCR. The loan will support the expansion of CTPark Bucharest West by two new warehouses totalling over 70,000 sqm. The total investment in this expansion phase will reach €108.9 million. With a total planned 600,000 sqm lettable area, CTPark Bucharest West is designed to become the biggest, as well as fastest growing industrial park in the country and the region. BCR acted as mandated lead arranger, documentation, facility and security agent.

With a 4.8%-GDP growth in 2016 and the highest estimated growth rate in 2017 among EU member states, Romania has become an increasingly attractive destination for regional operations centres. The tax and legal regimes along with the geographic location, as well as the highly yet not so costly labour force are some of the key ingredients contributing to the country’s attractiveness, according to the Recipe for successful tax, law & real estate of regional operations centres in Romania report prepared by Deloitte Romania, Reff & Associates- Deloitte Legal together with Knight Frank. 

Mitiska REIM has announced a further strengthening of its footprint in the Romanian market with the successful acquisition of the Alpha Property Development portfolio. The acquisition of the portfolio consisting of 11 income producing retail parks and 3 development opportunities was made on behalf of Mitiska REIM’s institutional fund, First Retail International 2 (FRI 2). 

AFI Tech Park, the newest office project developed by AFI Romania, achieved a LEED Platinum pre-certification. AFI Tech Park is a business campus that will offer 56,000 sqm GLA of Class A office space, comprising of two office buildings of GF+8 and one office tower (GF+14). 

Globalworth Real Estate Investments has acquired Building C of the Green Court Bucharest campus developed by Skanska. The gross transaction value is approximately €38 million and the acquisition is expected to close in Q3 2017.

Colliers International has been assigned by Hili Properties to provide property management services for the Art Business Center office project, which houses the largest private hospital in Romania. Thus, Colliers International reaches a managed portfolio of over 280,000 leasable sqm and enters a new segment, that of private hospitals, marking a premiere for the local property management market.

The Iulius Company started the construction works for a new Class A office building in Timişoara, as part of the Openville project, the largest mixed-use development in Western Romania. This is the third office building developed under the United Business Center (UBC) brand of the seven office buildings to be included in the project. With a gross leasable area upwards of 130,000 sqm, the office component of the Openville project is set to become a regional business hub.