Focus Estate Fund has closed the transaction on the acquisition of the Galeria Awangarda shopping centre in Bartoszyce (Poland). The centre has a GLA of 6,126 sqm.

Atrium European Real Estate Limited has completed the sale of the Atrium Militari shopping centre in Bucharest, Romania to MAS Real Estate Inc. for €95 million, which represents a 9% premium to book value on 31 December 2017.

Shopping centres remain the dominant retail format on the Polish market. Poland now has more than 420 shopping centres that provide 10.5 million sqm, accounting for 73% of the country’s total retail stock. Retail experts at Cresa Poland analysed the Polish retail market

NEPI Rockcastle announced that, through its subsidiary NRP Shopping Centre Project Two s.r.o., it has signed a binding agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in MLYNY, a.s., being the owner of Galeria Mlyny shopping centre in the city of Nitra in Slovakia from a group of local investors. The aggregate purchase price for Galeria Mlyny was €121.8 million.

Nova Imobiliare announced the €30 million expansion of Colosseum Mall, in the north-western area of Bucharest. Construction is scheduled to start later this year and the inauguration will take place in the first half of 2019.

EPP has announced the acquisition of the King Cross Marcelin Shopping centre for €91.1 million. This marks the group’s first entry into Poznan, adding to the group’s portfolio of eighteen retail projects. The property is being purchased through its wholly-owned Polish subsidiary, EPP Development 7 SP.z.o.o from Poznań onkil S.A. which holds its legal title to the property. The initial yield of the acquisition is 7.30%.

NEPI Rockcastle, through its subsidiaries, has acquired Aura shopping centre in Olsztyn, Poland for €64.9 million and Ozas shopping centre in Vilnius, Lithuania for €124.6 million.

The location and the commercial offer are the most important criteria taken into consideration by parents visiting shopping centres with children – these are the main conclusions from the research conducted by Colliers International in cooperation with the Polish Council of Shopping Centres (PRCH) and Ariadna (research agency) in the eight biggest Polish agglomerations in terms of shopping centre child-friendliness.

Forum Gdańsk opened its doors officially to the public. This modern urban shopping destination is situated in the inner city of Gdańsk and offers 62,000 sqm GLA of retail, a multi-screen cinema, leisure facilities, restaurants and 1,100 parking spaces. Forum Gdańsk also includes a boutique hotel and the multi-functional Gdańsk Heritage Centre. The centre boasts a new public transport hub and is adjacent to the main railway station, the Old Town and key municipal buildings. Multi Poland, part of Multi Corporation, the Gdańsk municipal authorities and PKP Polish Railways cooperated on this major project. Multi developed the project and is responsible for the management of Forum Gdańsk. The total investment, including road infrastructure development, was approximately €194 million.

Preliminary data has revealed an increase in shopping centre footfall on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays, and a decrease on Saturdays. Cushman & Wakefield presented a summary of the first quarter of 2018 on the Polish retail market in its latest report.