Ever since shopping centres in Poland were reopened in May, the share of online sales in total retail sales has been falling steadily - it stood at 7.7% in June compared with 9.1% a month earlier and 5-6% before the pandemic. Cushman & Wakefield has summarised Q2 2020 on the Polish retail market.

Atrium European Real Estate has completed the sale of five retail assets in Poland to Metropol Group. The value of the transaction remains confidential. The seller was represented by the Avison Young and JLL investment teams throughout the transaction.

The modern retail stock in Romania, consisting of shopping centres, retail parks and commercial galleries with a leasable area of ​​at least 5,000 square meters, has reached 3.96 million square meters and will exceed the 4 million sqm threshold until the end of the year, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

According to data from the Polish Council of Shopping Centers, footfall in shopping malls range from 62 to 73% when compared to last year’s numbers. The pandemic has changed the habits of Poles who are planning their shopping in a more thoughtful, cautious and safe way. In the new reality, small-format shops located close to home are attracting more visitors. By the end of May and after negotiations between owners and tenants had been completed, almost all shops in retail parks were operating. Some of these shops are now recording a turnover of 160% of pre-lockdown levels.

The drop in footfall numbers in the majority of shopping centres combined with a drop in turnover, as well as ongoing talks between tenants and shopping centre owners have caused a slowdown or even temporary suspension of development plans of some retail chains, especially those in the fashion sector. JLL summarised conditions on Poland's retail market at the end of H1 2020.

The opening of Colosseum Mall in Bucharest, initially planned for the end of 2020, has been rescheduled for 2021, considering the unpredictability of the business environment under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Shopping centres in Romania have reopened on June 15. In total, investments in all equipment, supplies and staff needed to ensure compliance with the safety and social distancing measures that are still needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. exceed €500,000 for large shopping centres, according to Colliers International consultants. Shoppers will gradually resume their pre-pandemic habits and traffic in the malls could return to normal during the Christmas season.

Neinver, an investor, developer and operator in the European outlet centre industry and the largest operator in Spain and Poland, is certifying the COVID-19 hygiene and safety protocols and procedures implemented in the 20 centres it manages in five European countries. Neinver has reached an agreement with SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, to validate its safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19 in the centres it operates in Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland.

According to a study conducted by research body Inquiry for the Polish Council of Shopping Centres (PRCH), 51% of those surveyed visited shopping centres in the first week after they reopened following the easing of the lockdown measures. Out of these, 64% visited shopping centres to make specific purchases, while 31% went to browse the stores or to seek out promotions.

Nine shopping centre owners in Romania, together with CBRE, have urged the Romanian Government to reopen large shopping centres as soon as possible.