The value of construction works launched in three months rose in Q1 2024, Activity-Start hasn’t been so high in the last six quarters. EBI Construction Activity Report Q1 2024 measured the total value of started construction works at HUF 807 billion. Looking at the period between 2018 and 2023, there were very only five quarters when Activity-Start surpassed this number. At constant prices, Q1 2024 was also considered good when looking at the period since June 2022. Nevertheless, when compared to the period between 2018 and H1 2022, it fell into the lower range.

The international developer UDI Group has opened a fund of qualified investors. It is intended for private and institutional investors. In addition to funds or banks, large private investors can also invest in the fund. The lowest possible deposit is CZK 1 million (€40,000). In the future, the fund will also include sub-funds aimed at financing individual large projects. In the first phase, the General sub-fund is opened, which will invest in the UDI Group as a whole, and the Conservative sub-fund invests in loans for individual projects. To investors, the fund will offer appreciation in a more conservative form with a guarantee of a minimum return of 6.5% per year, with a premium return of around 15% per year expected. The status and statutes of the fund were checked and approved by the CNB.

The company Záhradnícka Property s.r.o., which belongs to the Austrian banking group Raiffeisen, has received a zoning decision for its project Záhradnícka – Bajkalská in Bratislava, reports ASB.sk.

Polish group Scallier has sold its retail project Funshop Park Turda in Turda to BT Property Alternative Investment Fund for an undisclosed amount.

Companies leased 91,000 sqm of office spaces in Bucharest in Q1, up by 63% compared to the same period of last year, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox report.

On May 1st, Sierra Balmain assumed management of the Power Park Opole shopping centre. The company will be responsible for both technical and commercial property management.

JLL Polska has been appointed as the exclusive agent to represent the Europlex office building. This multifunctional building, located on the borders of Warsaw’s Śródmieście and Mokotów districts, offers nearly 20,000 sqm of office space for lease.

Workplace adaptation to hybrid working, sustainability and inclusion are some of the biggest office trends and buzzwords at the moment. The implementation of these elements in a new office is, however, a challenge, especially in the current macroeconomic situation. Employers want to bring employees back to the office, while optimising rising costs. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest report, medium-quality fit-outs in Warsaw are priced at an average all-in rate of €1,250 per square metre – almost the same as in Prague or Budapest but half of what average fit-out costs are in London and Hamburg.

MLP Group has entered into a transaction with ING Bank Śląski S.A. whereby the bank has agreed to provide funding totalling €26.8 million, to be used to finance new investment projects in the MLP Poznań and MLP Poznań II logistics parks and to refinance existing liabilities under bank loans.

The real estate market in the Czech Republic has recently been most influenced by the overall economic situation associated with current events in Europe including the war in Ukraine, expensive energy prices and high interest rates. According to 2023 PSN data in the residential segment, the situation is favourable for investor purchases.