In 2023, the residential real estate market in Bulgaria is expected to remain calmer and more balanced than during the dynamic previous year. According to real estate agency Arco Real Estate, the forecast is for a slight cooling of interest due to factors such as inflation, the change, and the rise in mortgage rates, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Real estate market players are starting to recognise the importance of data but finding the right way to collect, analyse and utilise it is still often a challenge. Matej Leskovar, Managing Director at Slovenia-based software solution provider Imagine d.o.o. talked to Property Forum about this topic in detail.

Metro Bulgaria opened its first renovated franchise site in Bulgaria under the name "My Store". The program is one of the main company projects – a soft franchise model that brings together independent traders under one brand.

CA Immo has successfully signed and closed the sale of the Serbian office complex Belgrade Office Park to a domestic investor. With two buildings and an underground car park, the complex comprises approx. 27,200 sqm of total lettable space. The building, which is located close to the city centre, was 97% let as of April 30, 2023, with annualized gross rental income of around €4.4 million.

CBRE has announced the new role of Zvezdana Milutinović as Head of A&T Residential for the SEE region, effective June 1, 2023. Zvezdana joined CBRE at the beginning of the operations in the SEE region, 5 years ago when the direct office in Belgrade for the SEE region was established.

Danish retailer JYSK announced the opening of six new stores in Bulgaria by August 2023, along with the renovation of five existing branches

Slight growth in logistics and retail space rents, despite no new mall expansion or openings being planned. These are the trends for the beginning of 2023, according to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield Forton.

The first hostel with sleeping capsules has opened in Sofia. Green Cube is a low-budget hostel, which design follows the model of the unique Japanese lodgings with miniature rooms with individual sleeping capsules. The hostel is located next to the central railway and bus station of Sofia.

SOF Connect, the operator of Sofia Airport, announced its plans for accelerated investment in Sofia Airport by the end of 2025. More than €50 million annually will be invested in the expansion of the airport in the next three years. This will increase to €60 million or two-thirds more than what is stipulated in the concession contract.

The Lastavice development project in Belgrade, Serbia, has just completed its rough construction. The first building of the project, which will offer almost 500 flats and require an investment of more than CZK 2 billion (€84 million), will be completed by the Czech developer UDI Group in spring 2024, while the construction of the second of the project's two buildings will begin at that time.