JLL announced the first edition of the Sofia City Report, a semiannual publication which provides a detailed view of specific real estate markets in Sofia: office, retail and warehouses. It offers information on the economic situation in Bulgaria, including the investment climate. The report was made with the support of IPC Partners Bulgaria.
In the first half of 2020, the supply of modern class A, B and C office space in Sofia increased by 1%, reaching 2,315,600 sqm, according to Colliers International. The recently completed building 3 of Garitage Park accounted for much of the growth in the office stock.
Law firm Kinstellar has successfully represented OTP Bank and its Bulgarian subsidiary, DSK Bank, in negotiating a €25 million loan for the construction and operation of Balkan Business Center, a major office complex in Sofia.
GTC Bulgaria has informed that the varied tenant portfolio of Advance Business Center II will be enriched by Commerzbank. One of the largest German banks will lease over 3,500 sqm GLA of office space starting 1st December 2020. The pre-leasing agreement was consulted by CBRE. Advance Business Center II is under construction phase and due for delivery in Q4 2020.
The office market in Sofia faces a significant slowdown, due to the economic uncertainty and weakening business activity caused by COVID-19, according to the latest market report of Forton, a strategic partner of Cushman & Wakefield for Bulgaria and Macedonia.
The Park Center shopping centre in Sofia, managed by Ceres Management Services, is now fully leased. On the last business day of 2019, the lease agreement for the last remaining vacant space in the mall (60 sqm on floor 2) was signed, which will be transformed into a new dining concept.
The share of food & beverages in modern shopping centres in Sofia is two to three times below the European benchmark, according to the latest report by Colliers International. From 5% a decade ago, it grew to 10-15% of GLA in European cities in present times and is forecasted to reach 20% by 2025. The share of F&B in Sofia shopping centres is about 6% or 20,000 sqm of the total space.
South African real estate investment trust Hyprop Investments has acquired a hypermarket adjacent to its shopping centre The Mall in the Bulgarian capital for €23 million back in June.
Bulgarian Real Estate Fund plans to invest €33 million in the construction of an office building in state-owned Sofia Tech Park. At first, the project will be financed with the proceeds from the company's planned capital increase, while at a later stage the construction works will be financed through loan financing.
Vileda expanded its office located in MyHive IO-1 in Warsaw, owned by CPI Property Group, to 712 sqm. Przemysław Urbański from Avison Young Poland supported Vileda in the negotiation process.
The LUX MED Group extended a 2,200 sqm lease agreement in the O3 Business Campus in Kraków managed by EPP
ArchivIT, a provider of archiving solutions, has leased another 5,700 sqm of warehouse space in VLParks Bucharest South, which is developed by Villar International. The company already occupies 16,000 sqm of warehouse space in the same project.
New appointments
Axi Immo is developing its Capital Markets Department. As of November 2023, Jakub Grabara was appointed as Associate Director in the Capital Markets Department. He will be responsible for transactional services, i.e., acquiring, purchasing, and selling commercial real estate.
Romanian developer ARQA has named Alexandru Rădulescu as Chief Sales Officer. During his career, he has overseen the sale of 17 residential and mixed-use projects.
Multi Corporation appoints Ola Zajac as New Business Ventures Manager. Ola will be looking for new business expansion strategies and venture capital investment opportunities across Europe and will be based out of Lisbon.
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