According to the latest report by Cushman & Wakefield Q1 2016 saw a rapid growth in the supply of office space in Warsaw, which more than doubled the results for the same period in 2015. Due to the record-breaking levels of supply vacancy rates have increased by 1.9 pps to 14.1%. Although statistics show a fall in net absorption, this is probably a temporary decrease in the light of last year’s exceptionally high growth. Cushman & Wakefield expects the office market to continue its growth in the remaining months of 2016, with pipeline supply estimated at 330,000 sq m.

Investment into Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (excluding Russia) for Q1 2016 registered a slight decrease (6%) compared to the same period of last year, reaching €1.84 billion, CBRE’s research shows. Expectations are that for the entire year, investment volumes will reach and exceed the record volumes of 2015, with all CEE countries expected to perform strongly. 

Immofinanz raised the occupancy level in its office standing investments by roughly seven percentage points to nearly 82% by the end of the 2015/16 financial year (as of 30 April 2016). Rentals in the office segment totalled approx. 388,000 sqm, or 29% of the total area, according to preliminary numbers. Of this total, 307,000 sqm are located in standing investments and 81,000 sqm in development projects. Roughly 40% of the standing investment rentals represent new contracts or contract expansions, while the remaining 60% are contract extensions with existing tenants. 

Prologis has announced that it will deliver an additional 20,500 square metre facility for Mall.cz, an online consumer goods and electronics store at Prologis Park Prague-Jirny. The building is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2016.

2015 has proven to be a turning point for both the Hungarian commercial property market and for Cushman & Wakefield, which has merged with DTZ. Adrian Limp MRICS, Head of Valuation & Advisory at Cushman & Wakefield Hungary talked to us about valuation practices in a recovering market.

Demand for industrial space lifted significantly in Q1 2016 in Budapest industrial markets and the hegemony of BTS projects has not broken yet. In the Budapest-South submarket vacancy rate dropped to 4.4% triggering two speculative projects, CBRE reports.

Atrium European Real Estate, owner and manager of shopping centres and retail real estate in Central and Eastern Europe has announced the appointment of Scott Abbey as Group Head of Leasing.

The continental European operation of Palmer Capital changed its shareholder structure and rebranded itself as Arcona Capital. 

International real estate developer HB Reavis bought the freehold interest in 61 Southwark Street from Aberdeen Asset Management for £44 million.

Prologis today celebrated the grand opening of a 25,414 square metre build-to-suit facility for BMW Group at Prologis Park Bratislava.