The Aviva Investors Polish Retail Fund has signed a preliminary sales agreement for Focus Park in Zielona Góra and Focus Mall in Piotrków Trybunalski. The two shopping centres are to be purchased by Rockcastle for around 161 million euros. JLL advised Aviva Investors on the transaction.

International investors seem to have rediscovered one of the biggest and most important markets of Southeastern Europe that have matured a lot over the past few years. Michaela Lashova MRICS, CEO of Forton (an Alliance Partner of Cushman & Wakefield for Bulgaria and FYROM) and RICS SEE Ambassador talked to us about the present and future of the Bulgarian commercial property market. 

With the last works completed in July, Budapest’s newest office building “Buda Loft Offices” is ready to welcome its new tenants. The building - which used to be the Goldberger textile factory - now offers modern loft offices. Colliers International has been appointed as the exclusive letting agent on the building

In H1 2016, total modern retail stock in Poland rose to more than 13.5 million sqm GLA. The key trends include new shopping centre and retail park openings in cities below 100,000 inhabitants and the growth of the outlet centre sector in agglomerations with 200,000–400,000 inhabitants. Cushman & Wakefield has released its data on the Polish retail market in H1 2016 in its report Property Times: Increased market competition calls for a quick response.

Romania and Hungary are seeing new capital flowing into their respective commercial real estate markets as a consequence of a significant yield spread between Western and Eastern Europe. Skanska has relased a new report, focuing on investment opportunities in the CEE region.

Prologis has announced that it will deliver a 11,740 square metre build-to-suit (BTS) facility for Geis PL, a German logistics operator, at Prologis Park Stryków. The project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Before the global economic crisis the financial sector dominated the Budapest office market, banks leased the greatest number of new offices and impressive new headquarters were built for them. By now the situation has changed: the biggest players are from the ICT (information and communication technology) sector in Budapest, leading companies are building new headquarters, and the globally influential Hungarian companies are moving into larger and larger offices.

Student accommodation has become popular among investors in some Western European cities, but there is an almost complete lack of this investment product in the CEE region. Colliers International has released a recently conducted research analysis that explores the current status of student housing in the Czech Republic and the future prospects of this sector that could attract both domestic and foreign investors.

At the end of June 2016 total modern warehouse stock in Poland stood at 10,500,000 sqm. Occupier and developer activity is expected to continue its strong momentum, as revealed by Cushman & Wakefield in its Polish Industrial Market Q2 2016 report.

Money Makers TFI, an investment fund owned the Alior Bank group, and ProData Consult, an IT consulting services provider, decided to remain in Warsaw’s Horizon Plaza for the following years and expand their offices. Knight Frank brokered the transaction and represented Union Investment Real Estate GmbH, the property owner.