Mark Richardson, an investment expert with more than 20 years of professional experience in European commercial real estate, has joined Savills Poland as Head of Investment.

Savills has appointed a CEO of Central and Eastern Europe. Current Managing Director of the Czech Republic & Slovakia, Stuart Jordan, will take on the role, having successfully developed the Czech Savills business since 2017, including its recent expansion of operations into Slovakia.

According to Savills' research, the demand figures for premium office space in the first half of 2023 have started to vary significantly across Europe compared to the five-year average, Luxembourg saw a 137% increase, Oslo a 22% increase and Prague a 13% increase, while Lisbon, Dublin and Budapest saw declines of 62%, 42% and 21%. However, demand is facing a shortage of modern office buildings, especially in well-served locations. Moreover, no developer has started construction of an office building in Prague for more than 12 months. In addition, most of the projects that started with the construction earlier (e.g., Masaryčka) are already significantly occupied. On the contrary, the positive news for those interested in new offices is that up to 195,700 sqm of new office space could be built in Prague by the end of 2025, of which 143,600 sqm is already under construction, says Savills in its analysis. 

Europe’s share of semiconductor production will need to more than double to reach the EU Chips Act’s target of 20% of global output by 2030, which will also generate demand for warehouse space across the continent.

Nrep, the ESG-focused real estate investor with €19 billion of assets under management, has purchased a controlling stake in Polish industrial developer 7R. Following the deal, Nrep will invest around €200 million of new equity in the company.

1.2 billion sqm of space is required globally in the next decade to satisfy the growing demand for the top three ‘alternative’ property sectors, providing a major opportunity for investors, says Savills.

The Warsaw office market is seeing signs of upcoming renewed development activity, says Savills. Three new office buildings were delivered in the first half of 2023, but a significant increase in new supply is not expected until 2025.

Since the second half of 2022, Savills has seen an increase in demand from manufacturing companies for modern warehouse space in the Czech Republic, accounting for 57% of the total space leased in the first quarter of 2023. One of the reasons why demand from this sector is growing is "nearshoring", i.e., the shift of production from Asia back to Europe. During Covid-19, demand was significantly driven by the e-commerce sector, which at its peak in Q3 2021, accounted for up to 62%. However, over the last three quarters, e-commerce activity has declined significantly and, as of Q1 2023, is now at 6%. Given uncertain energy supply and costs, and thanks to government support of renewable energy, demand from this sector is also growing significantly.

HIH Invest Real Estate has appointed real estate advisory firm Savills as the sole letting agent for vacant office space in Sagittarius Business House, located in Wrocław, Poland.

According to Savills, growth in prime rents is set to remain robust across the continent having increased by 10.4% in the last four quarters. This is despite vacancy creeping up to 3.5% in Q1 2023, reflecting the impact of slower leasing activity.