During the last three years, companies have leased nearly 4 million sqm of modern office space in Poland. Taking the dynamic development of firms into consideration, 2017-2019 can generate office demand of up to 5 million sqm, JLL predicts.

According to CBRE, it is very likely that business deals in the Hungarian investment property market in 2017 will reach last year’s €1.54 billion (HUF480 billion) turnover.

CBRE sees continuing strong demand from investors in the Czech Republic across the core sectors of office, retail and industrial with an increased demand for more specialist sectors such as hotels and residential. The retail sector in Q1 clearly dominated with more than €900 million transacted, followed by the office sector with a 20% share of total market volume.

Tenant representation is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon on the office markets of Central Europe, which is without a doubt a sign of a healthy, growing and more educated market. Their activity, however, often raises ethical questions as it’s still often unclear who pays for their services. Conflict of interest in tenant representation has been one of the key topics of two regional events: the Property Forum - RICS Prague Property Summit 2017 and the latest RICS Hungary Tea & Talk in Budapest.

Effective from April 2017, JLL is the property manager for Building A of the Twin City office complex in Bratislava, Slovakia. The property is situated in the newly-established business district in the Bratislava city centre, in close proximity to the Main Bus Station Mlynské Nivy.

Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed by CPI Property Group to continue as a property manager of two major shopping centers and one multifunctional complex in Central and Eastern Europe which have been recently acquired from CBRE Global Investors.

M7 Real Estate has acquired a further circa. €20 million of assets in Budapest, on behalf of its first Central European fund for third party investors, M7 CEREF I. This follows the Fund completing its final close, reaching its target raise of €60 million of investor capital in April 2017, as well as the agreement of a €68.5 million senior debt facility with Starwood European Real Estate Finance.  

Q1 2017 saw Class A & B take-up reach approximately 97,300 sqm on the Bucharest office market and the average transaction size increased from approximately 1,800 sqm in Q1 2016, to approximately 2,400 sqm in Q1 2017.  There were 9,550 sqm delivered in two projects in the CBD (Central Business District), Knight Frank reports.

Helaba and pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, acting as co-arrangers, are providing a €177 million facility to developer and investor CTP for the refinancing of CTPark Bor, one of the Czech Republic's largest logistic parks. The loan is being financed in a club deal, with each partner providing 50% of the facility and Helaba acting as agent. The transaction closed in April 2017 and has a term of seven years. 

NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange-listed Elbit Imaging has put two of its Bucharest hotels on the market. The company is hoping to finalise the sale of the five-star Radisson Blu and the four-star Park Inn by the end of the year.