Służewiec, a district in Warsaw and one of the largest and most prominent business districts in Poland, currently offers nearly 1.1 million sqm of modern office space. According to recent estimates, there is approx. 87,000 office personnel employed in the area. As the needs of staff and residents of the city change, there is a groundswell of opinion suggesting that this part of Warsaw needs a new strategy and a fresh action plan. What activities would contribute to the improved functioning and more favorable perception of this district as well as maintaining its attractiveness as a key business hub?

From the beginning of January, Knight Frank has been appointed a property manager of the Kliwer office building located in Mokotow in Warsaw. Currently, the property is fully rented.

Golub GetHouse and Mennica Polska S.A. obtained financing for subsequent stages of the construction of Mennica Legacy Tower in Warsaw. More than €130 million of construction credit was granted by a consortium of three banks.

In 2018, the Polish industrial market was driven by e-commerce which, in addition to generating strong take-up levels, reported new requirements regarding warehouse location and technical specifications, says Tom Listowski, Partner, Head of Industrial and Warehouse, CEE at Cresa.

Erik Drukker, who previously served as the Managing Director, Agency & Valuation, Central & Eastern Europe, has become a Member of the Board at the Polish and Czech entities of BNP Paribas Real Estate. He took his new post at the turn of November and December.

Dentons’ Real Estate team in Warsaw has advised Hines Global REIT on the sale of a portfolio of five logistics properties in Poland. The transaction value was approximately €140 million. The assets were acquired by Gemini Poland Holdcos, affiliates of Blackstone Group.

Panattoni Europe announces that Tritax EuroBox, which invests in Continental European logistics real estate assets, has exchanged contracts to acquire a prime, modern national logistics facility at Strykow, Lodz, in Central Poland, let to Castorama Polska Sp. z o.o., one of Europe’s leading DIY retailers and part of Kingfisher plc. The total consideration payable by the company is €55 million (excluding purchaser's costs), reflecting a gross initial yield of 5.8% on the asset acquisition.

The EBRD and Revetas, a specialist real estate investment advisor focusing on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), are joining forces for the acquisition and development of a portfolio of prime business properties in the region. The EBRD is investing €28.6 million in Project Keystone, a portfolio of premium real estate assets located across CEE representing a total gross leasable area of over 173,000 sqm. The total asset value, including gross development value, exceeds €450 million.

Growing investor appetite for industrial assets, a supply gap on the Warsaw office market and Poland moving up global ratings - these are some of the real estate market highlights of 2018. All the indications are that in the months ahead the market’s focus will be on alternative asset classes and the likelihood of an economic slowdown. Real estate advisory firm Savills presents its preliminary summary of Poland’s commercial property market performance in 2018 and an outlook for the next twelve months.

Galeria Bronowice, managed by Ceetrus Poland, received the BREEAM-In-Use Certificate with the highest “Excellent” rating. The document confirms that the facility in Kraków is an environmentally-friendly building operating in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Galeria Bronowice received this distinction in two categories, for building management and for the building itself.