Germany and Central Eastern Europe (CEE) reported investment turnover growth across commercial real estate in H1 2020, despite the effects of COVID-19 in Q2, according to the latest Savills European Investment Spotlight.

spaceOS has announced a new capital raise totalling €2.5 million. The latest funding comes after Austrian commercial real estate group Immofinanz took a €2 million stake in spaceOS, further strengthening the firms’ partnership, following a deal in December to roll-out the spaceOS platform across the group’s entire portfolio. Existing investors BeyondBuild also contributed an additional €0.5 million to this funding round.

The market for flexible office space has been experiencing dynamic growth for several years. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things about our daily lives, also in the office sector, and thus has significantly affected tenant preferences. Many tenants have made or are considering a decision to move some of their branches or even headquarters to flexible spaces. The main reasons for the growing interest in flex spaces include the possibility of enlarging or reducing the space, no long-term commitments, and no need for investment outlays, according to an analysis by experts from Mindspace, a global operator of flexible workspaces.

Fears that offices will no longer be needed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak are overblown, and investors should keep an eye out for pricing opportunities, according to Savills Investment Management.

Office spaces will become a hive of activity in the future as more businesses embrace office designs which promote innovation, creativity and team collaboration, predicts Colliers International. The EMEA Workplace Advisory team has published its latest report which evaluates feedback from its global Work from Home survey to discuss future workplace trends.

With the ease of travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, companies begin to resume their activity in the headquarters located in office buildings, but with only 40% of employees in a first phase, according to a survey of Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Knight Frank has been present in Hungary since 2018, mostly focusing office leasing – a process that will significantly be impacted by COVID-19. Erika Lóska, Head of Office Division at Knight Frank Hungary and Colin Fitzgerald, Partner International Occupier Services at Knight Frank London talked to Property Forum about the company’s plans for Hungary and how COVID-19 could change the occupier services sector.

The share of flexible office space take-up across Europe decreased in the first quarter of 2020 to reach 5% from 9.5% at the end of 2019. The sector has expanded exponentially from 2017-2019, and is reaching maturity, as large providers become less expansionary.

Businesses and landlords needing advice on how to safely bring their staff and tenants back to the office after the COVID-19 lockdown can now receive recommendations within a week from experts at Colliers International. The global real estate consultancy is using expertise from its Workplace Advisory and Project Management teams, within the EMEA Occupier Services department, to provide, quick, detailed and innovative solutions to maximise office capacity – including cost estimates.

Reopening the office requires rethinking the daily experience and setting clear protocols for how everything in the office operates while managing the health and safety risks of our employees. How the returning to work is managed will be critical for employee health and well-being but also for the confidence in their employer and landlord, according to the latest data from CBRE.