Regional cities in Poland are attracting an increasing number of tenants and more development activity. Cresa analysed the office markets of Wrocław, Łódź and Tricity.

In Q1 2018, Poland’s total warehouse and industrial stock amounted to more than 14.15 million sqm and another 1.90 million sqm was under construction, the largest quarterly development pipeline on record. Central Poland was the leading regional market, accounting for more than half of new supply and most of the leasing transaction volume.

In Q1 2018, Warsaw’s vacancy rate fell to its lowest in five years while absorption amounted to 45,000 sqm, down by nearly 30% on the average observed over the last five years, according to Cresa.

Nordea, Infosys, Fujitsu and Harman opened offices in Łódź a long time ago. Other firms are now following in their footsteps. Commerz Systems recently announced its entry into the Łódź market, says Marta Pyziak, Head of the Łódź Office of Cresa Poland.

The rapid growth of e-commerce is changing the way warehouses are being built. In many BTS buildings, automated or semi-automated racking systems and robots are deployed for product storage and picking, says Krzysztof Czekalski, Technical Director in the Industrial & Warehouse Department at Cresa.

The Polish government’s bill on supporting new investments will introduce new regulations on state aid and operation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It is estimated that the proposed amendments will attract more than PLN 2.5 billion worth of investments in the first year of the new regulations being in force and result in 200,000 new jobs created within ten years. Michał Rafałowicz, Head of the Pomeranian Region at Cresa Poland analysed the impact of the new SEZ act.

According to “Occupier Economics: Office Market in Łódź in 2017”, the latest report produced by Cresa, last year’s absorption rate for office buildings in Łódź hit a record high of 55,500 sqm. With office stock at 437,770 sqm, Łódź is Poland’s sixth largest regional office market. The city’s vacancy rate currently stands at 9.3% (up by 3.1 p.p. year-on-year).

In 2017, Tricity’s office space absorption hit a record high of 79,400 sqm, compared to the five-year average of more than 58,000 sqm. Leasing conditions in the region hold stable, says tenant-only real estate advisory firm Cresa.

According to “Occupier Economics: Office Market in Wrocław in 2017”, a report prepared by Cresa, last year’s office supply in Wrocław was the lowest in six years while occupier demand remained robust. The city’s office take-up hit 174,500 sqm, which represented a 40% increase compared with 2016.

Business services companies remain core office tenants in Wrocław, setting new market trends and trying to attract top talent. Michał Grabikowski, Head of the Wrocław Office of Cresa Poland summarised the key strengths of Lower Silesia’s capital city.