Aon extends lease at Skyliner in Warsaw

Aon has extended its lease for office space in the Skyliner building in Warsaw for another five years. The company, which occupies 1,522 square metres, moved into Karimpol Group’s flagship property at the end of 2022.

Aon, part of the global Aon plc group, has operated in Poland since 1992 and employs over 1,700 people nationwide. It provides services in risk management, insurance brokerage, and human capital advisory.

According to Dominika Kozakiewicz, Managing Director of Aon Poland, the extension reflects the company’s satisfaction with the location and working environment: “Skyliner offers a flexible and well-designed space that meets our operational needs and supports employee collaboration. The building’s quality, accessibility, and alignment with our ESG values were key factors in our decision.”

Michał Orłowski, Head of Leasing and Asset Management at Karimpol Polska, said the renewal demonstrates continued tenant confidence in the project’s quality and flexibility. Legal services for Karimpol during the renegotiation were provided by Argon Legal.

Completed in early 2021, Skyliner is one of Poland’s tallest office buildings at 195 metres. It holds a BREEAM Excellent certificate and operates on 100% renewable energy. The building offers 45,000 square metres of leasable office space and houses tenants such as Bolt, Booksy, Coca-Cola Poland Services, XTB, and Mindspace.

Construction of the second Skyliner tower began in February 2024 and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026. The 130-metre-high building will offer 24,000 square metres of leasable space, including offices, retail, and service areas. Designed by APA Wojciechowski Architekci and built by Warbud S.A., the project has already received a BREEAM Outstanding certification. CBRE Polska is advising Karimpol on commercialisation.

Invest Komfort and Gdańsk University of Technology launch scholarship for civil engineering students

Property developer Invest Komfort and the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology have launched a joint scholarship programme to support students preparing for careers in construction and engineering.

The initiative, formalised through an agreement signed at the beginning of October, aims to help students combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience in the industry. The programme is open to civil engineering students who have completed at least four semesters and achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Participants will receive a PLN 10,000 scholarship, paid in two instalments, and will complete a three-month paid internship at Invest Komfort. The internship will give students the opportunity to work with multidisciplinary design and investment teams and observe the full process of a construction project, from planning to site supervision.

“We want to create conditions where young engineers can connect their studies with practice and gain experience from professionals in the field,” said Bolesław Rzepliński, Investment Implementation Director at Invest Komfort.

Applications are open until 11 November 2025 via the company’s website. Following verification and interviews conducted jointly by representatives of Invest Komfort and the university, selected scholarship recipients will be announced later this year.

Invest Komfort, active on the Tri-City property market for three decades, has completed more than 50 residential and commercial projects across Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia. The scholarship initiative extends the company’s collaboration with the academic community and aims to support the development of the next generation of engineers entering the construction sector.

Photo: WITA77, Gdańsk

Retail parks dominate new retail development in Poland

Retail parks continued to shape the landscape of Poland’s retail property market through the third quarter of 2025, confirming their position as the country’s most dynamic commercial real-estate format.

According to several professional market analyses, new completions between July and September amounted to roughly 78,000 square metres, all of which came from newly built or extended retail parks. This added to a total of around 220,000 square metres delivered since the beginning of the year. Developments such as S1 Włocławek, Przystanek Karkonosze in Miłków, and M Park Ciechanów were among the largest openings of the quarter.

Industry analysts note that developers have clearly shifted their activity away from traditional shopping centres toward smaller, open-air retail formats. At the end of the third quarter, about 600,000 square metres of retail space was under construction nationwide, with retail parks accounting for the overwhelming majority of this pipeline.

The country’s total stock of modern retail space reached approximately 13.6 million square metres, spread across nearly 700 facilities, resulting in a national average of around 360 square metres per 1,000 residents.

Vacancy levels in the major cities remained low and relatively stable, averaging below 3 percent, with the tightest markets in Warsaw and Szczecin and moderate increases recorded in Kraków and Łódź. Market observers suggest that where older shopping centres face higher vacancy, owners increasingly opt for functional conversions—often turning former hypermarket or mall spaces into mixed-use or residential projects.

Retail-brand activity also picked up. Several international and domestic chains opened their first Polish outlets or expanded into new cities, while some large-format operators adjusted their space requirements or closed underperforming stores. The variety of new openings included fashion, accessories, fitness, and food-service concepts, reflecting renewed tenant confidence after a subdued period in 2024.

Online channels continue to complement physical retail. Grocers and lifestyle brands are broadening their presence on delivery and marketplace platforms, while new quick-commerce services have entered regional cities.

Overall, the sector’s development in 2025 highlights the strength of convenience-focused retail. With smaller, energy-efficient formats close to residential areas and easy road access, retail parks remain the preferred investment and leasing option for both national and regional operators heading into 2026.

Source: Colliers, BNP Paribas Real Estate, and Cushman & Wakefield

Sanmar leases 5,500 sqm at City Logistics Łódź VI

Logistics company Sanmar has leased approximately 5,500 square metres of warehouse and office space at City Logistics Łódź VI, an urban logistics park developed by Panattoni. The tenant was represented in the transaction by Newmark Polska.

The facility on Dostawcza Street forms part of a 26,000-square-metre industrial park that holds a BREEAM Excellent environmental certification. Its layout enables the accommodation of a range of business functions including storage, light manufacturing, and logistics.

According to Panattoni, Łódź continues to attract logistics operators due to its central location, transport infrastructure, and labour availability. The developer has delivered nearly 2.4 million square metres of industrial space in the region to date.

Sanmar, established in Poznań in 2006, provides national and international transport services. The company employs over 100 people, operates a fleet of 120 vehicles, and handles around 70,000 transport orders annually across nine branches in Poland. The new lease in Łódź will support the company’s plan to expand its warehousing and logistics capabilities.

Newmark Polska advised Sanmar throughout the transaction, assisting with market analysis, negotiations, and the lease finalisation. Advisor Jan Olszewski said the location offers favourable conditions for further growth, citing access to skilled labour and modern logistics infrastructure.

WING purchases mixed-use development site on Váci Road in Budapest

Hungarian real estate developer WING Group has signed an agreement with GTC for the acquisition of a development site located at 173–177 Váci Road, one of Budapest’s main office corridors. The plot spans more than 2.1 hectares and is planned for a mixed-use project that will include approximately 470 apartments and 23,000 square metres of office space.

The site is situated in the northern section of the block bordered by Váci Road, Szekszárdi Street, Madarász Viktor Street, and Szobor Street, providing direct access to metro transport and other urban services. The Váci Road corridor is the largest concentration of office space in Hungary, and WING has previously developed several projects in the area, including Atrium Park and the Kassák residential complex.

The planned development aims to add both residential and commercial capacity to the district. Construction of the residential component is scheduled to start in 2026, following the approval of a final concept design, a definitive building permit, and a town planning agreement with the local municipality. The agreement includes commitments to create public green spaces and community areas accessible to residents and workers in the neighbourhood.

WING stated that the project will be implemented in two phases, with the goal of integrating modern housing and office functions in one location. The company’s acquisition continues its long-term activity along the Váci Road corridor, an area that remains a focal point for new real estate investment in Budapest.

HSF System SK completes new XXXLutz department store in Nitra

HSF System SK, part of the international construction group HSF System within the PURPOSIA Group holding, has completed the general contracting works for the new XXXLutz department store in Nitra. The property is situated in the Na Pasienkoch area, near the Sever Industrial Park. The investor, RAS Immobilien SK s.r.o., specialises in the development and management of commercial and office real estate.

The project covered the construction of a 5,092 m² retail hall along with 10,101 m² of paved areas, internal roads, and related water infrastructure. According to Tomáš Kosa, Director of HSF System SK, the work involved complex coordination and technical requirements.

The completed building has a total area of approximately 14,600 m² and features a 20-metre atrium with integrated lighting elements on the façade. The construction incorporates several energy-efficient measures, including 394 photovoltaic panels on the roof, which are expected to supply around 17 percent of the store’s annual electricity needs. Rainwater is collected and managed through pumping stations connected to the Jelšina stream and an evaporation pond with an overflow system.

Inside, the ground floor accommodates around 4,140 m² of home accessories retail space, while the first floor—covering 4,616 m²—is dedicated to kitchen, mattress, and furniture displays. The assortment of home accessories has grown by roughly 1,800 products, bringing the total offer to around 7,000 items. The site provides 129 parking spaces for customers.

According to Michal Karcol of RAS Immobilien SK, the new store offers about 50 percent more retail area than the company’s previous location in Centro Nitra. The investment has also led to the creation of 53 new jobs across retail, services, and logistics functions.

Poland’s Foreign Trade Grew in 2024 as EU Markets Drove Exports

Poland’s foreign trade activity expanded in 2024, with data from the Yearbook of Foreign Trade Statistics of Poland 2025 showing resilient export and import growth amid stable demand from European partners.

According to Statistics Poland, total foreign trade turnover in goods and services increased compared to 2023, maintaining Poland’s strong integration within the EU single market. The European Union remained Poland’s largest trading partner, accounting for the dominant share of both exports and imports. Germany continued to hold the top position as Poland’s leading export destination and import source, followed by the Czech Republic, France, and the Netherlands.

Trade in goods with OECD countries also grew steadily, reflecting diversified industrial and consumer linkages. The United States and South Korea registered notable increases in both directions of trade, particularly in industrial machinery, transport equipment, and electronic components.

The report highlights that exports were mainly composed of manufactured goods, automotive products, and machinery, while imports were dominated by industrial inputs, electronics, and energy resources. In services, IT and business outsourcing continued to be major contributors to Poland’s export profile, supported by growing cross-border demand for digital and professional services.

The yearbook also notes an improvement in the terms of trade, indicating favourable price dynamics for exported goods relative to imports. Price indices in both exports and imports were tracked across major commodity groups using the Combined Nomenclature (CN) and Polish Classification of Products and Services (PKWiU).

In 2024, Poland’s external debt remained stable and the balance of payments showed sustained surpluses in trade in services, helping to offset moderate deficits in goods.

Statistics Poland emphasised that the data were compiled under harmonised EU methodologies through the INTRASTAT and EXTRASTAT systems, ensuring comparability across member states.

The 2025 edition marks the 60th annual publication of Poland’s foreign trade yearbook, offering detailed breakdowns by country, sector, and product category in both current and constant prices, with values expressed in PLN, EUR, and USD.

Pardubice reviews redevelopment plans for Masaryk Barracks site

The City of Pardubice has paused work on the long-awaited analysis that will determine the future use of the former Masaryk Barracks, a ten-hectare brownfield area located near the city centre.

Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO) confirmed that progress on the study was interrupted as the city prioritised the construction of a new primary school on part of the site. Demolition of the former military buildings began earlier this year to prepare for the investment.

“The analysis was meant to guide an investor competition, but as circumstances evolved and the school project took precedence, it was necessary to adjust our timeline,” the mayor told Czech News Agency (ČTK). He added that work on the document could resume by the end of 2025, with an architectural or developer competition likely to follow.

An existing urban study envisions a mixed residential neighbourhood combining family housing, services, shops, and public spaces. According to the mayor, the city’s goal is not to maximise profit from the land sale but to support affordable housing and balanced urban growth.

The barracks site dates back to the 1920s and has been owned by the city since 2014, when Pardubice acquired it from the Ministry of Defence after several years of negotiation. Most of the property is now under municipal ownership, with only a small portion retained by the state for planned public-sector development.

Source: CTK

REDPORT Development Lays Foundations for Bucharest’s Next Urban Chapter

With construction now underway at its €50 million Vitality project in Sector 3, REDPORT Development is not only strengthening its residential footprint but also outlining a broader vision for long-term urban transformation across Bucharest. In an exclusive conversation with CIJ EUROPE, COO Bogdan Gubandru discussed the company’s expansion plans, financing strategy, and ambitions to build one of the capital’s largest new mixed-use communities.

Building Momentum with Vitality

Vitality marks REDPORT’s first development in Sector 3 — one of Bucharest’s fastest-growing residential districts — and serves as a pilot for the company’s mid-market housing model. The scheme will deliver roughly 500 apartments across three phases, beginning with low-rise blocks already under construction and expanding to mid-rise buildings in later stages. Apartments are priced around €1,800 per square metre, targeting local families upgrading from older stock and newcomers seeking access to schools, green spaces, and modern infrastructure.

The project also integrates retail and leisure amenities, including a Lidl supermarket and landscaped open areas, reflecting REDPORT’s emphasis on community-led design.

Expansion and Land Acquisition

Gubandru confirmed that the company is already pursuing additional plots in Sector 3 and evaluating larger land parcels on Bucharest’s northern and peripheral edges.

“We are choosing locations with the same kind of foresight that urban planners have used before us,” Gubandru said. “We look for areas with access to infrastructure, social facilities, and green zones — places that can evolve into mixed-use neighbourhoods. In District 3, Vitality Est benefits from proximity to Pantelimon Park and the lakes, while in the north, Străulești–Petrom City is emerging as Bucharest’s ‘New North’. These aren’t isolated projects — they’re new pieces of the city’s urban puzzle, meant to last for generations.”

Beyond its current pipeline, REDPORT is exploring a 100–150-hectare development on the outskirts of the city — a mixed-use community potentially anchored by a golf course, which would mark an unprecedented scale for the capital.

Financing an Urban Vision

Asked about the financial framework for such large-scale projects, Gubandru drew parallels with historic infrastructure investments.

“Financing a 100-hectare development is like financing a boulevard or a railway in the past — it demands multiple layers of capital and long-term vision,” he explained. “For our for-sale phases, we rely on a mix of equity, bank loans, and presales. For rental or community-led formats, we’re ready to attract institutional investors, green bonds, and forward-funding structures. Our goal is to finance not just buildings, but an entire way of life — modern, sustainable, and aligned with Bucharest’s future.”

The developer’s financing model has already been tested through a private placement completed earlier in 2025, bringing in minority shareholders, with a second round expected before the end of the year. An IPO is under consideration for 2027–2028, possibly with a dual listing in Bucharest and on a foreign exchange.

Managing Risk and Delivery

REDPORT’s leadership acknowledges that delivering large-scale, mixed-use developments in Romania presents real challenges — from zoning and permitting delays to infrastructure gaps and financing cycles.

“Every major transformation comes with obstacles,” Gubandru said. “We mitigate risks through phased approvals, early cooperation with local authorities on infrastructure, and diversified capital sources. Above all, our in-house construction capability gives us control over timing and quality. Like past urban transformations, it’s about perseverance, planning, and precision.”

A Long-Term Horizon

The proposed 100–150-hectare project remains in its conceptual phase, but Gubandru emphasised that REDPORT is already preparing for execution.

“Projects of this scale belong to a generational horizon,” he noted. “With land assembly and zoning, the first works could begin in 2027 or 2028. But this is not a single project — it’s a new district, and full delivery will unfold over eight to ten years. Our ambition is to approach it with the same responsibility Haussmann had when reshaping Paris — a coherent, sustainable plan that leaves a legacy for Bucharest.”

Evolving into an Institutional Platform

Beyond its development ambitions, REDPORT is positioning itself to attract institutional capital such as pension funds and family offices — a first step toward becoming a mature, listed real estate platform.

“By 2027 we want REDPORT to be recognised not just as a developer, but as a platform for urban transformation,” Gubandru concluded. “That means transparent governance, international standards, and a diversified portfolio that proves resilience through cycles. Everything we’ve built so far has prepared us to take this next step.”

With Vitality Est now breaking ground and a new generation of large-scale communities on the horizon, REDPORT Development is positioning itself at the centre of Bucharest’s next wave of residential and urban evolution.

The Next Frontier of Sustainability: Measuring Biodiversity Risk

As sustainability reporting becomes more detailed and data-driven, companies and investors are beginning to confront a new challenge: how to measure and manage their impact on nature. Biodiversity risk — once seen as a distant environmental concern — is now being recognised as a financial and operational issue, influencing supply chains, regulation, and access to capital.

Unlike carbon emissions, biodiversity loss cannot be expressed through a single universal metric. It involves many interconnected factors: land use, water consumption, pollution, habitat change, and species decline. For this reason, the process of assessing exposure to biodiversity risk requires several layers of analysis — from identifying where a company’s activities intersect with natural ecosystems, to estimating how those activities could affect business performance over time.

Across Europe, companies are beginning to adopt structured methods for doing so. The most common approach starts by mapping operations or assets that depend heavily on natural resources — such as water, soil, or local ecosystems. Once those links are established, businesses evaluate the condition of the surrounding environment and measure how their activities influence it. These findings are then translated into risk assessments that connect environmental pressure with potential financial outcomes, such as higher operating costs, stricter permitting, or supply disruptions.

Financial institutions are moving in the same direction. Banks and asset managers are testing portfolio-wide screening tools that help identify sectors most exposed to biodiversity loss, including agriculture, construction, and extractive industries. These analyses help determine where investment risks may rise as environmental regulations tighten or as ecosystems become more fragile.

Regulators are also expanding their focus. The European Union’s new corporate reporting standards require large companies to disclose not only their environmental footprint but also their dependence on ecosystems and natural services. This shift means that biodiversity risk will soon have to be measured, documented, and verified in much the same way that carbon emissions are today.

Industry advisers say this change represents a major evolution in corporate sustainability. Instead of treating nature as an abstract externality, companies are being asked to account for it as a measurable component of business performance. The data may still be imperfect, but the direction is clear: biodiversity risk is emerging as the next defining metric of sustainable value creation.

For businesses, the lesson is simple. Understanding how operations depend on and affect the natural environment is no longer just a reputational concern — it’s becoming a core element of financial strategy. Those that can measure biodiversity risk effectively will not only comply with future regulations but also gain insight into long-term resilience and resource efficiency.

Source: CMS

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