As it was shown by the CBRE’s report, which was prepared in collaboration with City Council of Szczecin, the capital city of the Zachodniopomorskie province has great potential. Nowadays the city, usually associated with the industry, openes up to the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector and high technology industry such as renewable energy and biotechnology.
The predicted increase of foreign investments in the service sector as well as improving investor sentiments in the city, which are the response to the new, more open-minded policies of the local authorities, have given Szczecin an incredible potential to become one of the major European business and cultural centres. We anticipate that the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as well as the Research and Development (R&D) sectors will generate new workplaces in Szczecin - says Joanna Mroczek, the director of the Research and Counselling Department, CBRE Poland.
However, not only companies associated with BPO do influence the development of the city. The opening of Poland as well as Szczecin on the BPO is a frequently recurring topic, but there is much more to this matter. Not only did the global players begin their business activity in the city but also local companies have experienced a noticeable development. We are happy to say that the local businesses are growing in strength and are expanding their scope of business, what in turn induces them to look for office space at the appropriate level. The fact that Szczecin is located in the vicinity of the economic leaders of the Europe as well as the presence of such facilities as educational centres preparing highly qualified experts, high grade apartments as well as captivating places perfect to spend one’s leisure time, make this city a perfect place to run a business - states Przemysław Janasik, President of the Board of Pazim Sp .z.o.o.
Szczecin and its office potential
The deficit of a high grade office space had put Szczecin at a great disadvantage - says Przemysław Janasik. For many years, Pazim was the only office building in the city that had the highest-grade office space. This, in turn, had lead to an unfortunate situation in which the city, along with the entire region, was branded as ill-suited for major external investors. At present, we witness a boom in availability of office space, which in turn makes our city perfect for business development.
As it is shown by the data collected by CBRE, the overall availability of office space offered in Szczecin amounts to over 145 000 sqm whereby the percentage of the class A space is continuously increasing. By the year 2015 another 60 000 sqm that consists of five buildings that are currently under construction will increase the office space. The rent rates for the prime locations are 14 euro/sqm per month, in case of class B buildings rates are 10-12 euro/m2 per month. In the year 2013 the number of vacant possessions increased to 13,6 per cent which was entailed by 18 000 sqm being commissioned as a new office space.
The growth of vacant office space grants potential tenants with a privileged position, namely owing to this situation they are not only given a wider variety of premises to choose from but also an opportunity to negotiate better leasing terms. However, comparatively high activity of lessees as well as growing number of investors should lead to a relatively quick absorption of vacant space - comments Daniel Bienias, Head of Tenant Representation and BPO Services, CBRE Poland.
Szczecin for companies
Currently there are several companies from the BPO sector in Szczecin, such as Bertelsmann, Genpact, Metro Services, Unicredit Business Partner and Home.pl. The tenants of the IT sector, BPO and SSC service centres as well as the banking segment are the most active.
Success attracts success. This is the main reason influencing development of the education combined with increasing importance of the service sector will ensure highly qualified personnel. We have excellent schools specialised in technical, medical and humanities education, which gives us an opportunity to synergise the science with the business in order to give an onset for innovations. On the other hand, the continuously developing transportation infrastructure (this including roads, highways and airports), makes Szczecin much more accessible. All of these factors have contributed to creation of a Special Economic Zone. While being on the right track we, as a region, should not allow ourselves to loose our vigilance. Keeping all this in mind, we would like to express our wish for the office space to remain in high demand - says President of the Board of Pazim Sp. z o.o.