EXPO REAL 2017, which took place from October 4 to 6, 2017 in Munich, has broken all previous records. 2,003 companies, cities and regions from 35 countries, exhibited at the show – 13 percent more than in 2016. The mood in the sector is positive and market players are watchful. More than 41,500 participants were registered at the event.
The Romanian pavilion at the International Trade Fair EXPO REAL was organised for the 6th time in a row by the German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Romania). The co-exhibitors in 2017 were: Oradea Local Development Agency, North-East Regional Development Agency, Bacau County Council, Botosani County Council, Iasi County Council, Neamt County Council, Suceava County Council, City of Iasi, City of Siret, plana-innova, Rec Immpuls and WDP Development Romania.
Companies wanting to invest or expand on the Romanian market got additional first hand information at the conference Romania: new market dynamics and opportunities on the 4th of October in the Discussion & Networking Forum Hall A1, directly from speakers like: Affan Yildirim – general manager Anchor Grup, Tatian Diaconu – CEO Immochan Romania, Dana Bordei – Head of Industrial Services Advisory and Transaction CBRE Romania, Christoph Salzer – Regional Director Warimpex, or an insight from Gheorghe Flutur, the president of the Suceava County Council.
„WDP’s property portfolio in Romania, via its joint venture WDP Development RO, is in full growth. For now, there’s no less than 200,000 sqm of buildings under construction. These pre-leased buildings will be completed before mid 2018 and will extend the Romanian property portfolio to a total surface area of about 500,000 sqm of warehouse and production space, with a total value of approximately 220 million euros. Creativity, flexibility and solutions make up the core of WDP’s DNA. Building new warehouses in logistical hotspots tailored to your logistical or industrial demands is just one facet of what we do. We also rent out an extensive portfolio of semi-industrial real estate on a permanent or temporary basis, all in excellent locations, we refurbish existing buildings in line with your needs, we drive down your energy costs, and so much more. We can also set up, together with you, a sale & rent-back operation”, states Valentin Stanciulescu, Porfolio Manager, WDP Romania.
“This year we celebrate not only 20 years of activity on the local market, but also the fact that our investments in Romania exceeded the benchmark of 400 million euros. What makes us truly proud is the achievement of our initial objective. These funds have served a higher purpose than the making of buildings, the purpose of enhancing the quality of life for society, that of changing of the urban landscape for the better and our most important purpose, to create and consolidate communities”, concluded Affan Yildirim, Anchor Grup General Manager. Ever since it entered the Romanian market in 1997, the international investor – Anchor Grup, has been focused on communities, whether they were united by the same location, tendencies or preferences for things of quality.
„Immochan has a new business vision, that of an integrated operator who believes that real estate is a response to urban uses and challenges. As a Global Urban Player, Immochan is creating multi-functional use projects that bring life and cohesion at street, neighbourhood and city level. The acquisition of Coresi Business Park was the logical pursuit of our road already started in Brasov. Coresi Business Park integrated the office component in Coresi District, completing thus the functional mix and the urban catalyst spirit of the project in Brasov, along with the shopping resort and residential complex. Our perspective on success lies in projects with added value for all our stakeholders – clients, residents, employees, citizens, public and private players. This is why we believe that intelligent urbanization in partnership with local authorities represents the opportunity to create mixed spaces that go beyond their immediate functionality and give sense to the community they address”, states Tatian Diaconu, CEO Immochan Romania.
Meetings in the pavilion
“SAA served as a sponsor for the Romania booth at Expo Real Munich this year, and it was a wonderful experience and opportunity to catch up with old friends as well as to meet some of the new players in the real estate market from Romania and abroad. The event was a great opportunity to continue our mission of promoting Romania as an investment destination by sharing our thoughts about opportunities that Romania has to offer with everyone who expressed an interest. Real Estate and related areas such as logistics have been and remain a core focus to our firm, the dedicated group being led by 2 partners coordinating a team of 10 in total, who cover the development and financing of real estate projects, joint ventures, real estate driven private – public partnerships as well as town planning and other regulatory matters. These are exciting times for our firm as we are working to expand our very successful team and continuously attract outstanding talent in a variety of legal fields, including real estate. This is good news for our clients, both local and international, who can access top quality advice in the real estate and areas such as logistics, that are vital to their success. In 2017 alone, our firm, working together in teams, undertook significant legal and practical challenges that we can reflect upon with satisfaction, such as assisting Renault Groupe and Dacia S.A. on the largest ever single tenant lease agreement entered into in Romania (39,000 sq. metres) and assisting Futureal Management on the acquisition of a 15,000 sq. metres plot of land located in North Bucharest”, stated Silviu Stratulat, Managing Partner, Stratulat Albulescu Attorneys at Law.
“Located in the Northwest of Romania, at the Hungarian border, the Oradea Industrial Platforms represent a unique opportunity for foreign investors looking for an accessible and dynamic location with an excellent infrastructure, benefiting from competitive costs, skilled work force and tailormade training programs through the dedicated vocational school. The industrial platforms are green-field type, with the utilities at property limit, and cover three diferent sites. Sometimes it’s all about location and accessibility, but here, the great location also provides full access to amenities and facilities with top professional services available for all your needs. At Expo Real Munchen, where we were present this year, we were promoting our city as the city of transparency and support for foreign and local investors. Our strategy for the future is to develope other services, in order to provide for our residence all that they need for their everyday business, and living conditions in Oradea. Our very interesting and usefull next project is developing the new Intermodal Terminal, which will be functional until 2020, on E60, at aprox. 6 km from the border with Hungary, with a private operator selected through a transparent, competitive procedure, to serve road and rail. The project stage is: technical design (fine tuning), permits for the construction”, stated Alina Silaghi, the new general manager of ADLO.
Regional Development Agency Nord-East represented, together with the county councils of Bacau, Botosani, Iasi, Neamt and Suceava, the booth of the North – East region integrated into the Romanian pavilion.
“During the three days, approx. 50 discussions were initiated which are the base for possible future partnerships or investments. Among the potential partners are renowned companies from Germany, UK, USA, Poland, Turkey, Austria, Switzerland, UAE etc. The meetings we had were aligned with the objective to promote North-East Region in order to attract new investments”, concluded Robert Cotuna, expert, Private Investments Office, North-East Regional Development Agency. The North-East Region of Romania nurtures a clean, stable and safe business environment by linking to macro-economic EU framework conditions and by implementing European Commission’s Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3). Based on that, the agency team started a mapping and appraisal process of the existing high potential value chains in the region. The main focus of this process is on closing the loops in each value chain, to make the transition to a circular economy, and to transform the missing links into investment opportunities. The main key sectors are: biotechnology, textiles and new materials, IT&C, agro-food, waste and water and energy.
