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Property Forum is excited to announce the results of its first biannual investment market sentiment survey focusing on the Romanian market which was conducted ahead of SEE Property Forum 2023. The results, providing an overview of market expectations across sectors, are now available online.

At €3.2 billion for Q1-Q3 2023, CEE investment activity is at a 10+ year low (down 59% year-on-year). The pricing gap between buyers’ and sellers' expectations remains a significant barrier to seeing volumes return to the 5 and 10-year average levels of €10-11 billion. However, real estate fundamentals in CEE remain fairly robust.  Lower levels of vacancy are being recorded and some good levels of rental growth in certain sectors have been noted, reveals Colliers in its latest report.

Czech developer and investor Crestyl has strengthened its position in the Central European residential property market. This week it completed the acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in one of Poland's largest residential developers Spravia (formerly Budimex Nieruchomości) from Cornerstone Partners, giving it full control of the company. Both partners initially bought the Polish developer in 2021 for PLN 1.51 billion (approximately CZK 8.5 billion) in one of the largest real estate deals in CEE. The price of the current transaction has not been disclosed. This acquisition will enable the integration of Spravia into the Crestyl Group, while further strengthening Crestyl’s balance sheet from the current €850 million to €1.3 billion, with the intention to grow further in both markets.

The investment group Penta, which is developing the area around the Masaryk railway station in Prague, wants to buy ČSAD Praha Holding through Penta Real Estate. The company owns the Florenc bus station and the surrounding land. The merger is being assessed by the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) in a so-called simplified procedure, and a decision will be issued within 20 days. The companies have not disclosed the price of the transaction. Penta also completed work on two nearby buildings called Masaryčka on Monday. The group's long-term intention is to unify the entire area by ownership, writes the daily e15.cz.

Romanian developer Akcent Development has started the construction of the Akcent City project, consisting of 723 apartments, in northern Bucharest. The company is investing around €90 million in the project expected for delivery in H2 2025.

Arkadiusz Rudzki, Executive Vice President, Leasing & Sales for Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE, talked to Property Forum about the duration of the supply gap in the Warsaw office market, the current interests of investment funds and Skanska’s Scandinavian approach to implementing the ESG principles.

Food retailer Ahold Delhaize, the owner of the Mega Image supermarket chain in Romania, has purchased the Profi supermarket chain from MidEuropa private equity fund, in a deal worth €1.3 billion.

The City Point office building in Prague 4 - Pankrác is changing hands. It is being transferred from the hands of the investment company Amundi Czech Republic to the ownership of the domestic operator of coworking spaces and serviced offices WorkLounge. Mint Investments Group was the investment advisor that handled the entire transaction for Amundi. Agents from real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield and law firm Havel & Partners also participated in the deal. The transaction was worth more than CZK 450 million (€18.25 million). 

The capital city will buy the Czech Post building in Na Strži Street in Prague 4 for CZK 425 million (€17.3 million). The city wants to sign the contract with the post office as soon as possible, said councillor Adam Zábranský (Piráti). All 57 councillors present supported the purchase. The building is a seven-storey building from 1984 with adjacent land, writes ČTK.

Investors in Poland are looking for market opportunities and value-add assets. Companies are optimizing their portfolios by putting up for sale properties that do not fit their new investment strategies, says Walter Herz.