GalCap Europe, a Vienna-based international investment and asset management company, acquired the Central Udvar mixed-use complex as its second property after the Merkur Palota in Budapest. The purchase was made on behalf of a separate account for a German pension scheme, administered by Institutional Investment Partners. CBRE has advised GalCap Europe to purchase the building in an off-market deal. The buyer and the seller agreed not to disclose any purchase price details. Legal advice to GalCap Europe was provided by CHSH Dezső & Partner.

Savills has consolidated and reorganised some of its business lines in Poland. It has set up an investment hub providing a comprehensive range of advisory services on the commercial real estate investment market through cooperation involving individual departments.

Skanska has sold Nowa Fabryczna building in Łódź, Poland, to real estate fund manager Niam. It is the developer’s second office project in the city, and the seventh Skanska property Niam has acquired in the Polish regional markets since 2015.

Czech start-up Opifer, which has so far invested in biotechnology and IT start-ups, has acquired the Futurum shopping centre in Brno from Atrium European Real Estate, e15.cz reports.

Atenor’s new Polish affiliate has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire long-term lease rights on two 30,500 sqm office buildings in Warsaw. These office buildings are known as the University Business Center and are located in the Mokotów district. They offer approximately €3 million in annual rental income.

M7 Real Estate, a pan-European real estate investor and asset manager, announces has completed the acquisition of 12 assets in Hungary through four transactions for a total of €80.1 million in 2017. It brings M7's Assets Under Management in Hungary to € 89.3 million. It has also completed 32 new lettings and lease renewals across its Hungarian portfolio.

Market players are highly optimistic about the future of CEE investments, but finding the right quality product can be a tough challenge. Our summary of Bratislava Property Forum 2018, co-organised by Property Forum and RICS.

Globalworth has completed the acquisition of two additional land plots adjacent to its assets on the Gara Herastrau/Barbu Vacarescu corridor of Bucharest for approximately €16 million. These plots are anticipated to allow for the development of 40,000 sqm of commercial (predominantly office) space. The company published an update for its operations.

According to data by JLL, the volume of office investment transactions concluded in Poland for 2017 was approx. €1.6 billion. A record-breaking €970 million of office investment deals was reported in major cities outside of Warsaw.

The EBRD and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, are boosting the retail sector in Serbia, Montenegro and FYR Macedonia with €164 million in loans to the investment firm Hystead.