According to the new report published by Newmark Polska, key themes defining the Warsaw office market in the first half of 2023 included waiting for new office completions and adjusting occupied space to widely popular hybrid working models. Despite new supply constraints and relatively muted development activity, the city’s vacancy rate edged down marginally in the second quarter of this year. Leasing activity reached a similar level to that of the first three months of 2023.

Office leasing in Bucharest totaled 128,915 sqm in the second quarter of 2023, up 48% compared to the same period of last year, driven by large deals closed by retail, financial and technology firms, according to a report by Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance. 

The investment transaction activity in Romania recorded total volumes of close to €170 million in the first half of 2023, which is down by around 50% compared to the same period, but the transactions could reach around €700 million by the end of 2023, according to Colliers data. 

Immofinanz has announced the sale of the Twin Towers on Wienerbergstrasse in Vienna to S Immo.

At the end of Q2 2023, the office market vacancy rate in Warsaw reached 11.4% (down 0.2 pps compared to the previous quarter and decreased by 0.5 pps in relation to the comparable period in 2022). The Polish Chamber of Commercial Real Estate (PINK) has published figures on the office market in Warsaw for Q2 2023.

Bratislava's socialist hotel will be transformed into a multifunctional building with office space and apartments. Its redevelopment is now planned by the developer Imoba fin, writes the Slovak daily Hospodárské noviny. However, further details regarding the price and timetable have not yet been revealed.

HIH Invest Real Estate has appointed real estate advisory firm Savills as the sole letting agent for vacant office space in Sagittarius Business House, located in Wrocław, Poland.

IWG, the world’s largest provider of hybrid working solutions with brands including Spaces, Regus, HQ and Signature, is expanding its Hungarian portfolio with four new openings, adding a total area of 5,944 sqm to its footprint. The openings are being delivered in partnerships with different locations that have chosen the IWG flexible workspace platform and have entered into a management agreement with the Regus and HQ brands.

The office leasing activity in Bucharest was up 12% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022, with volumes reaching 169,000 sqm, according to a Crosspoint Real Estate report.  

More than three-quarters (76%) of office stock across Europe will be at risk of obsolescence by 2030 according to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield. One of the reasons is the increased level of legislative action around sustainability requiring investors to modernise real estate to ensure ESG compliance. To take one example, commercial property landlords are required in a growing number of cities across North America and Europe to install green roofs that help increase urban biodiversity, optimise energy costs and improve the user experience.