Demand for real estate within Europe remains high, with Jones Lang LaSalle reporting that the first three months of the year saw transactions climb 48 per cent compared to the same period of 2010.
The consultancy noted that some EUR 8.04 billion worth of sales were completed over the course of the quarter, with the majority of activity taking place in the UK and Germany. The two nations accounted for 77 per cent of all activity, the firm said.
Shopping centres remained by far the most popular asset class among buyers, with the investment accounting for 60 per cent of total retail volumes in the first three months of the year.
"Looking forward to quarter two and three we expect to see a broad base of transactions in most markets, most significantly in Germany and Central Eastern Europe where pipeline deals are matched by strong investor demand," said Jeremy Eddy, head of EMEA Retail Capital Markets at Jones Lang LaSalle.
The analyst added that he expects to see activity in both Turkey and Russia increase by the end of the year.