Demand for office space sets a niew high in Polish regional cities
In 2016, total office stock in Poland’s eight key regional cities (Krakow, Wrocław, Tricity, Katowice, Poznań, Łódź, Szczecin and Lublin) rose to nearly 4 million sq m. Krakow, Wrocław and Tricity remain the largest regional office hubs. Office take-up hit nearly 590,000 sq m, which represented a 50% rise on the average for the years 2011–2015.
The total volume of lease transactions completed on the Polish regional markets in 2016 reached 585,000 sq m. The strongest leasing activity was in Krakow (188,000 sq m) and Wrocław (120,000 sq m). At year-end 2016, net absorption was positive and totalled approximately 380,000 sq m, up by 9% on 2015’s value.
Krzysztof Misiak, Partner, Head of Regional Cities, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Regional office markets are witnessing rapid growth and very strong occupier interest, with the highest demand recorded in Krakow, Wrocław and Tricity. Leasing activity is also robust in Łódź, Poznań and Katowice, whilst other regional markets with a significant growth potential include Lublin and Szczecin. Business services are the main driving force behind the growth of the regional markets. This sector employs more than 200,000 staff in nearly 1,000 business services companies operating across the country. Poland remains an attractive place to locate business, especially in the tech and financial sectors.”
In 2016, regional office supply totalled 491,000 sq m, representing a 34% rise on the value recorded in 2015 and a 75% increase on the average supply of 280,000 sq m for the years 2011–2015. The largest volumes of new space were delivered onto the most mature markets of Krakow (149,000 sq m) and Wrocław (142,000 sq m).
Kamila Wykrota, Partner, Head of Consulting & Research, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Strong demand levels are leading to increased developer activity in regional cities. Given the development pipeline, this year’s supply is expected to be close to the record high posted in 2016. The largest volume of new office space is likely to be delivered in Krakow, which will see its total stock top 1 million sq m this year.”
Robust developer activity pushed the average vacancy rate up by 1.7 percentage points to 10.8%. The vacancy rates rose in Wrocław (from 8% to 12.5%) and in Krakow (from 3.7% to 7.2%), and fell in Łódź (down to 6.2%) and Poznań (13.6%). Rents remained flat at EUR 12–14.5/sq m/month in the largest regional cities with the highest asking rents in Krakow, Wrocław and Tricity.
