From retail survival and sustainability investment through to the impact of automation and major political and economic change, Cushman & Wakefield’s new EMEA insight report explores the major themes the commercial real estate industry needs to keep in mind next year.

For the first three quarters of 2019, the CEE region has recorded an investment volume of ca. €9 billion. Offices dominate the deal flows with a 58% share, followed by a much slower retail sector with 18%, industrial & logistics (9%) and hotels (8%).

The market value of office buildings in the Czech Republic and in Prague, in particular, has continued growing as a result of steady demand and insufficient supply. Yields from premium office schemes in Prague currently range around 4.3 percent. Aggregate investments in commercial properties in the Czech Republic for the first three quarters of 2019 amounted to €2.5 billion (almost CZK 64 billion), according to Cushman & Wakefield.

According to the latest RICS Commercial Property Monitor, occupier and investment sentiment remains positive across main CEE markets, even though the Czech Republic has posted its most subdued set of readings in four years. In many countries, demand for retail assets fell on both the occupier and investment sides of the market. Based on rental and capital value projections, secondary retail is visibly suffering in Austria, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.

According to data from JLL, Poland's supply of mixed-use commercial space has increased nearly six-fold over the last ten years. Mixed-use projects often require major revitalization and reconstruction, in a number of Poland's major metropolitan areas. Such projects include Elektrownia Powiśle, The Warsaw HUB and Koneser in Warsaw, Monopolis in Łódź, and Browar Lubicz in Kraków.  

The share of private sector student accommodation in Prague stood at 6% of the total stock of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) in October 2019, up slightly from the 5% recorded at the same time last year, according to the latest Savills research.

There’s a lot of capital targeting real estate in Central & Eastern Europe but finding the right investment product remains a huge challenge. Panellists of the CEE investment panel at Portfolio Property Investment Forum 2019 in Budapest discussed the risks investors in the region need to keep in mind.

In the first three quarters of 2019, the regional city investment volume reached €1.06 billion, matching the level recorded in the whole of last year. Cushman & Wakefield forecast this year’s total volume to hit €1.3–1.5bn, 25-40% above the equivalent level in 2018. Prime office yields stand at 5.50%–6.00% in Krakow and Wrocław, and at 6.75–7.25% in Gdansk, Poznań, Katowice and Łódź.

Financial advisory group Rothschild & Co. was sued in New York for allegedly helping Radovan Vitek, the majority owner of CPI Property Group, secretly acquire controlling shares in Orco Property Group.  Kingstown, a New York hedge fund, is claiming €1 billion of damages for the alleged fraud. CPI Property Group and Radovan Vitek deny the allegations and claim that the New York lawsuit is baseless and has no merit.

Global commercial real estate leaders are optimistic about the industry’s prospects over the coming year, despite global economic volatility, according to Deloitte 2020 Commercial Real Estate Outlook. 76 percent of respondents expect a positive evolution of the industry in the next period. The survey shows that the tenant experience has become a top priority for most commercial real estate leaders, with a focus on investment in new technologies.