Sun, Nov 08 2009
Investor interest in business property in Bulgaria grows. Most investors plan developments like retail centres, real estate agents said.
Bulgaria faces numerous problems related to retail and office space, investor.bg reported.
Figures for Bulgaria show that 160 sq m of retail space is available in Bulgaria per 1000 people. In comparison, 1000 people in Poland enjoy 520 sq m of trade area.
Concerning office space, the situation is similar. An employee should have on the average 22 sq m of office space. In Bulgaria, employees have only eight sq m.
Bulgaria also lacks storage facilities meeting the international standards. The problem is similar concerning logistics centres.
The shortage gives investors the chance to develop in the business property segment, agents said.
Various companies have researched opportunities for the execution of such projects in Bulgaria but specific plans have not been presented yet.
Office rent transactions peaked at 65 000 sq m between July and September 2008, but collapsed to 10 700 sq m in Q3 2009, Forton manager Sergei Koinov said.
Most potential buyers are now opting to buy a luxury flat in the range of 120 000 to 150 000 euro or a single family home for about 500 000 euro.
About 30 000 to 35 000 people employed in the construction sector were facing redundancies in 2010, Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister Rossen Plevneliev said on October 26.
Average market prices of housing in Bulgaria dropped five per cent in July-September, measured quarter-on-quarter, the National Statistical Institute said on October 23 2009.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has released a 43.5 million euro loan to Sofia Municipality, for infrastructure projects worth 88.1 million euro in total