Cushman & Wakefield summarised the latest progress and impacts the Czech Republic’s real estate sector is facing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

CPI Property Group has prepared an update for its stakeholders regarding the Group’s response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

CBRE has facilitated the lease of approximately 15,500 sqm of office space to the expanding Prague team of ExxonMobil in Luxembourg Plaza in Prague 3. The 1,200 employees who currently work in two different office buildings will move into the new headquarters in Q1 2022.

Erste Bank Group anticipates an economic slowdown for 2020 in most CEE countries due to the coronavirus situation. The bank’s report mentions a negative scenario as well, which would result in a massive recession in the region.

CPI Property Group offered the Czech government the entire capacity of the 14 hotels operated by CPI Hotels in the event that the government requires extra space for patients. The offer includes approximately 5,000 beds in 2,490 rooms and conference space that can normally accommodate almost 10,000 guests in total.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus situation Property Forum has decided to reschedule its spring events – Bratislava Property Forum, SEE Property Forum and Prague Property Forum – to autumn 2020.

The Arete investment and real estate group announced the opening of its third qualified investor fund, based in the Czech Republic and operating under the supervision of the Czech National Bank. This third fund is to follow on from the successful history of the preceding funds, with the first fund having been closed three years ago and investors paid off with a total gross appreciation of 120%, while the second fund has fulfilled its strategy with its current gross appreciation of over 90%. The new Arete fund will both invest into completed industrial real estate in Central and Eastern Europe and also itself construct new logistics and manufacturing buildings. Its portfolio target value should approach €500 million during the anticipated six-year investment cycle.

CBRE announced the appointment of Clare Sheils as Managing Director of CBRE in the Czech Republic effective 15th March 2020. Clare Sheils succeeds the current Managing Director, Richard Curran, who – after a highly successful career spanning 16 years – has decided to leave the business and pursue other interests and career challenges.

Prologis has appointed Paweł Sapek as Regional Head Central Europe, a role in which he is responsible for maintaining strong team leadership, identifying new opportunities and steering the region towards new paths of development. Sapek is now responsible for overseeing the company's entire CE portfolio across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, with a total area of 4.2 million square meters. In addition, he will run the Polish branch of Prologis and directly supervise operations in Hungary.

Atrium European Real Estate published its financial results for 2019 and announced that the Board and management had been undertaking a strategic review to identify further growth opportunities to deliver strong, long term sustainable income returns to shareholders. The strategic review focused on, amongst other things, leveraging the operating platform in Poland and the Czech Republic and diversification into other classes of real estate, focusing on residential-for-rent