Commercial real estate companies, especially those offering warehouses, offices and hotels, were very visible at this year’s Expo Real 2019 in Munich. The growing interest of international investors in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, is continuing. The value of investments in the first half of the year alone in Poland was in excess of EUR 2.72 billion, and dozens of deals are still being negotiated.

Despite signals of an impending economic slowdown in Europe, there is no shortage of capital in the market, unlike prime investment product. This is why we are seeing an increase in transactions in which funds are investing at the development stage. The trend applies to both the commercial sector and the institutional segment in the housing sector.

Capital from Asia

The most interesting stream of investment capital at the moment is flowing in from Asia. Far Eastern funds want to buy and have large amounts of money to spend, which means that developers and owners can achieve high sales prices. The effect of this is further yield compression, although the commercial real estate sector in Poland in terms of investment remains competitive compared to western markets.

Investment sentiment is good and the assessment of the Polish market remains high. During a slowdown, it is natural to search for savings, which gives the warehouse and office sector in Poland a competitive advantage over western European markets, including the largest one in Germany.

Another issue favouring investing in Polish real estate is the prolonged uncertainty regarding the Brexit agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Many companies are not waiting and are relocating, which benefits the rental market in our region.

To sum up, this year’s Expo Real 2019 showed how the market in Poland has grown and changed in every sector in recent years. The quality of the exhibition space, as well as the visibility and activity of Polish companies and institutions, were incomparably higher than in previous years.