Serbia’s construction market was booming when the economic and geopolitical situation changed, so the complicating circumstances in the world are stifling the potential growth and slowing down the ongoing recovery. Inflationary pressures have exploded with the start of the war in Ukraine and the effects of the current crisis are still unforeseeable, writes Dejan Krajinović from Beobuild Core d.o.o. for EECFA Serbia.

IREP and West Properties have joined forces in a partnership to provide full real estate services for Serbia and the wider Balkans region. In a strategic move that will be announced at MIPIM in Cannes, France, the two companies will combine key services, knowledge and experience to offer a comprehensive and dynamic range of services currently not available in this region.

Indotek Group has completed the acquisition of 11 office buildings in 5 business parks in Belgrade from GTC. With the closing of one the recent years’ largest transactions in CEE, Indotek Group has further strengthened its position in the regional real estate market and is now present in 12 countries.

MPC Properties has acquired the Delta City shopping centre in Belgrade from UK-based Hystead Limited for €115 million.

Romania is expected to see only moderate growth on the horizon. Serbia, having recorded the biggest expansion of almost 100% in the 2014-2020 period, is foreseen to plateau in the upcoming years, according to the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association’s 2021 Winter Construction Forecast Report.

Climate change presents new challenges for the real estate sector but also an opportunity to get ahead of the competition. The topic was discussed at Balkans Property Forum 2021, Property Forum’s annual event in Belgrade.

BIG Shopping Centers Ltd., the controlling shareholder (~95%) of BIG CEE, successfully raised NIS 205 million (approx. €55 million) by issuing secured bonds in the Israeli stock exchange by refinancing the following shopping centres: BIG Fashion Kragujevac, BIG Kruševac and BIG Fashion Outlet Inđija.

Belgrade Waterfront is adding one more residential building which will be its 24th. BW Eterna is a building with 223 residential units on six standard and two recessed floors. This building has apartments of different sizes and structures – from one to four-bedroom apartments.

Lev Weiss has been appointed the new CEO of the BIG CEE Serbia.

One of the largest real estate transactions of the last 5 years on the CEE market was inked in Belgrade this year and the Serbian capital is attracting further investor interest. Srdjan Teofilovic, Head of Capital Markets & Investor Services at CBS International, member of the Cushman and Wakefield Alliance, talked to Property Forum about the trends driving Serbia’s investment market.