Coffee with Craig Show – daily CRE news covering the CEE region, Monday, December 5, with Winston Norman, Editor and Chief of EuropaProperty.com.
Czechia ranks among top ten manufacturing destinations
The Czech Republic maintained its top ten global rankings this year in the annual Manufacturing Risk Index compiled by Cushman & Wakefield, which assesses criteria such as operating costs, labour, and economic and political risk.
The Central and Eastern Europe region is also strongly represented, with Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia all making the top 12. Poland overtook the Czech Republic thanks to its cheaper labour and electricity prices, which are lower there than in many of the other CEE countries.
Cushman & Wakefield’s Jiří Kristek commented: “Judging by their position at the top of the ranking, CEE countries can be expected to remain very attractive for industrial and manufacturing investment. It’s quite striking to see how Poland has leapt ahead from previous years, along with Hungary and Slovakia, so CEE countries are gaining ever greater importance in terms of global demand for manufacturing destinations.”
Overall, many European countries have bolstered their longer-term economic outlook and risk profile, thanks to improvements in their ability to achieve sustainability targets, efficient use of resources, and the creation of green economic opportunities.
Panattoni has about 6,000,000 sqm of certified space in its portfolio
Panattoni had almost 6 million sqm of industrial space under certification at the end of the third quarter. Half a million sqm of this is certified under BREEAM with a rating level of Excellent, which is currently the standard for the developer. A further 4.6 million sqm is currently under assessment.
Environmentally-friendly construction has ceased to be a niche trend and has become one of the most important developments in the entire industry. Now, there is more than 28 million sqm of space in Poland, and nearly half has passed environmental certification. Moreover, 70 percent of the certificates have been issued within the last three years.
“Just a few years ago, there were few developers who certified their projects but now it is a must-have for the sector. In the context of the taxonomy and investment in sustainable construction, the clearly defined certification rules act like a lighthouse for clients, funds, investors and the real estate market,” says Emilia Dębowska, Sustainability Director at Panattoni.
MLP Group raises PLN 183.5 million in share issue
MLP Group has successfully carried out a public offering of Series F shares by way of a private placement. Based on an accelerated bookbuild process, the issue price of Series F shares was set at PLN 70.
Radosław T. Krochta, CEO of MLP Group S.A, commented: “The entire offering was covered by investors, which I consider a huge success on such a difficult market as we currently have, and that is an expression of appreciation for our development strategy, business model and continuous increase of company’s value.”
Proceeds raised by MLP Group are intended to finance the expansion of its land bank on markets where it operates.
Erste Securities Polska acted as the Global Coordinator of the offering.
Chainels expands into travel hub sector
Chainels, the tenant experience platform, has launched in two travel hubs across Europe, leveraging its retail expertise to expand into a new sector. Utrecht train station and Vienna International Airport will both use Chainels’ digital platform to improve communication with retailers and service providers.
Peter de Leeuw, Head of Airport City Development at Vienna International Airport said: “In the Vienna Airport City, we always strive to connect our tenants and their employees to the best services, while increasing efficiency. We chose Chainels because the platform is easy to implement and adapt to our needs. ”
Marco Valkenburg, National Account Manager at NS Stations added: “The app has been well received by the retailers and partners at Utrecht Station who have welcomed the increased engagement and collaboration the tool gives them.”
Sander Verseput, co-founder, COO & CFO at Chainels added: “Travel hubs are a new area for Chainels but one, we feel, can benefit from our experience working with busy retail destinations across Europe for almost a decade.”