Magdalena Bartkiewicz-Podoba, CEO, Liebrecht & wooD Poland talked to Property Forum about their newest large-scale, mixed-use investment in Warsaw, revitalization-related challenges and creating a valuable urban fabric.

CEE-based flex office operator New Work continues to expand in its key markets. In Budapest, the company opened the second phase of its business centre in the Science Park office building in South Buda, adding 2,000 sqm of high-quality flex office space to the local market. In Warsaw, New Work opened a brand location, offering 1,135 sqm, in the Tulipan House office building in the city’s Służewiec district.

The third quarter of 2022 completes the dynamic new supply period observed in the Polish office market in recent years. Between January and September 2022, developers delivered 39 new investments, which increased the sector’s total stock by 560,100 sqm to over 12.7 million sqm. The period under review also registered intense activity on the demand side. At the end of Q3 2022, more than one million sqm was leased across Poland. However, the office market, like other sectors of the commercial real estate market, faces many challenges, including rising energy costs or the expected supply gap and rising rents. AXI IMMO presents data summarizing Q3 2022 in the Polish office market.

Q3 2022 in the Warsaw office market saw record-low developer activity. At the end of September, only 160,000 sqm of space was under construction. As a result, new supply is expected to drop significantly in 2023, with only 60,000 sqm of office space coming to the market, JLL reports.

According to Savills, development activity has cooled dramatically in the Warsaw office market. There is currently close to 230,000 sqm under construction, of which just over 115,000 sqm is scheduled for completion in 2023–2024.

Since the beginning of the year, five companies have decided to lease a total of 10,000 sqm of office space in Warsaw Spire C, which is almost half of the building. The majority of contracts are renewals of existing leases, two contracts were concluded as green leases. The occupancy rate in Warsaw Spire C is currently over 96%.

Japanese clothing chain UNIQLO has opened its store in Domy Towarowe Wars Sawa Junior in Warsaw. The two-storey store has been inaugurated on October 27.

Demolition works are now beginning on the site of the City Point Targówek redevelopment project in Warsaw. The existing buildings will be removed and replaced with a multi-tenant logistics complex. Once completed, the park will offer nearly 100,000 sqm of modern warehousing and office space. The first completed buildings will be delivered to tenants in the third quarter of 2023.

Revetas Capital is converting its office landbank portfolio of approximately 90,000 sqm developable GLA in 3 major cities in Poland into residential, entering the Private Rental Sector. The recapitalization of the portfolio should provide a capacity of up to 2,000 beds. The objective of the conversion is to build an institutional PRS portfolio in major Polish university cities.

Iris office building, located in Warsaw at 9 Cybernetyki Street has been sold by the entity being a part of CPD Group to DL Invest Group. Avison Young brokered the transaction and represented the seller in the disposal process.