Market players are optimistic of the future of the SEE property market, according to the speakers of Balkans Property Forum 2018, co-organized by Property Forum and RICS in Belgrade, which brought together more than 150 industry experts.

Erste Group has laid the cornerstone of the second phase of the Sirius Offices business complex in Belgrade which will include the construction of 12,500 square metres of space over eight floors and a parking lot for 200 vehicles. Erste plans to invest €25 million in the second phase of the project. The building will be completed by the middle of 2020.

Bulgarian Real Estate Fund received permission for the construction of a new building in the state-owned Science and Technology Park in Sofia.

On 4 December 2018, Balkans Property Forum 2018, a conference and networking event for real estate professionals from all over Southeastern Europe will be held in Belgrade. Over 100 guests will come together in the Serbian capital to discuss key issues and explore the latest trends influencing the future of the real estate industry. Key speaker of the event, co-organized by Property Forum and RICS, answered questions about the local real estate market.

M7 Real Estate has refinanced a €4.8 million debt facility secured against the Mani Business Centre in Zagreb, Croatia with Erste Bank Zagreb following the completion of M7’s successful asset management strategy for the property.

Immofinanz is driving the expansion of its Stop Shop retail park brand and has now purchased eight retail parks in Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia. The purchase price totals approximately €90.5 million. The newly acquired properties are fully rented and generate an annual rental income of roughly €7.2 million, which represents a gross return of 8.0%. These transactions increase Immofinanz’s Stop Shop portfolio to 80 locations in nine countries with over 567,000 sqm of rentable space and a carrying amount of approx. €800 million. Further acquisitions are currently under evaluation, and two Stop Shops in Poland and Serbia are now in the active development phase.

Ikea has postponed the opening of its €80 million second store in Bucharest for next year. The opening of the store in Eastern Bucharest was initially scheduled for the end of this summer.

Bulgarian shopping mall Plovdiv Plaza will reopen its doors in November following an extensive renovation. The shopping centre will have a total retail area of 35,000 sqm.

Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesić and CEO of MPC Properties Ingo Nissen have officially laid down a foundation stone at the construction site of a new shopping centre in Belgrade with over 43,000 sqm of sales space and a total built area of 130,000 sqm. The project is a joint venture of MPC Properties, the largest investor in the region of South-East Europe and Atterbury Europe, focused on shopping centre investments and retail development opportunities in Europe, which will collectively invest more than €110 million in this project.

Slovenian retailer Mercator has sold 10 shopping centres with a total GLA of 108,800 sqm in Slovenia to Austrian Supernova Group for €116.6 million. Mercator will rent parts of the centres, the company said in a filing to the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.