BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Shaping a New Era of Development in Southeast Europe

Bogdan Gavril – Sales Engineer & Trainer, CEE Region at Axis Communications
Bogdan Gavril – Sales Engineer & Trainer, CEE Region at Axis Communications 2880 1920 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

BREC Talks to Bogdan Gavril

Sales Engineer & Trainer, CEE Region at Axis Communications

“Retail surveillance can provide information to support the development of better store layouts – via heat mapping and dwell time applications”

Following the opening of a new office in Romania by Axis Communication, the market leader in network video, we sat down for an interview with Bogdan Gavril, Sales Engineer & Trainer, CEE Region at Axis Communications to find out more about the company’s innovative solutions for retailers and smart city.

How do you address the retail segment and what type of info can those type of solutions offers to the retailers or retail owners?

Retailing today is a tough business and more and more store owners face challenges. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your store technology can minimize loss due to frauds and protect people and assets. As important, find opportunities to increase revenues and enhance customer experiences in real time. Retail surveillance using network video solutions such as IP cameras is an excellent weapon in the battle to protect the retail business and to find ways to increase its efficiency, like it can help store owners manage queues, count people and monitor flow control. Or It can provide information to support the development of better store layouts – via heat mapping and dwell time applications.

Outside the store itself, network video can be connected to access control systems, or used for general surveillance of the building’s exterior and parking lot. License plate recognition is also possible, thanks to the high quality of the images generated. All of these cross functional applications make retail stores safer for visitors and more profitable for the owners. More, network cameras in intelligent systems can spot even empty shelves – and alert appropriate staff to get them restocked. In this way the manager can monitor queues and re-deploy staff where they are most needed.

How can your video surveillance solutions can help to improve traffic in Bucharest?

We believe that the road to a smarter traffic is by monitoring it. From congestion and stopped vehicles to serious accidents and extreme weather, we understand the everyday traffic management challenges and to keep the traffic moving as smooth as possible, we need the very latest information at hand.

Axis Communications is working with partners across the globe to offer smart network video solutions, that can provide reliable and detailed traffic video around the clock, automatically alert for incidents such as congestion and stopped vehicles. Our products stand up to the toughest weather conditions and provide real-time and historic traffic data. One of our recent local integration was done in Bucharest, Pasajul Unirea. The solution was developed by Axis Communications and one of our partners and consists of three pillars:

  • Axis network cameras with technologies that allow the units to monitor in any light conditions.
  • Citilog video-based Automatic Incident Detection system, that identify incidents and accidents within seconds on highways, bridges and tunnels. The application was installed directly on Axis Cameras, through the AXIS Camera Application Platform.
  • Number OK LPR – Software that can recognize car’s license plate numbers and control executive units /barriers and automatic gates. Number OK can recognize license plate’s patterns, regardless of the plate state and lighting conditions.

BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT AXIS

Swedish-based Axis Communication was established in 1984 and the company’s products are now installed in public places and areas such as retail chains, airports, trains, motorways, universities, prisons, casinos and banks. In Romania, the company works with two distributors and at the end of 2017 officially opened a direct representative office.
Axis offers intelligent security solutions that enable a smarter, safer world. As the market leader in network video, Axis is driving the industry by continually launching innovative network products based on an open platform – delivering high value to customers through a global partner network. Axis has long-term relationships with partners and provides them with knowledge and groundbreaking network products in existing and new markets. Axis has more than 2,600 dedicated employees in more than 50 countries around the world, supported by a network of over 90,000 partners across 179 countries.

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How to raise value of Real Estate through Innovation
How to raise value of Real Estate through Innovation 1400 898 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

How to raise value of Real Estate

through Innovation

Fluctuating market conditions, changes in consumers behaviors and the rapid development of technology and innovation are shaping a new real estate industry. According to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: Europe 2018 survey by PwC & Urban Land Institute, over 50% of the respondents agree that technology, big data and the rise of “space as a service” will disrupt the traditional property valuation model.

As the most important event in technology, Consumer and Electronics Show (CES), has ended we have looked at major innovations that are impacting the real estate industry:

SMART ASSET MANAGEMENT

The discussion about innovative ways to manage assets is on everybody’s lips, especially as redevelopment seems to be one of the most attractive instruments to acquire prime assets this year, deploying investors’ strategy based on smart asset management.

Zenplace, an innovative real estate and technology company based in Silicon Valley, wants to reinvented property management, tenant placement and leasing to provide a better owner experience. The business model combines experienced property management professionals with artificial intelligence, machine learning and mobile technologies, providing owners with higher returns, lower costs, and an overall better owner experience. The firm’s latest development is a robot that provides smart guided home showings. Zenplace hopes its new robot tours will move homes off the market faster.

Ecovacs Robotics displayed at CES the Winbot X, the most recent window cleaning robot model, which is cordless and runs on an internal battery. The new model defies gravity to clean windows and eliminates the need for a power source.

INNOVATION RE-SHAPES RETAIL INDUSTRY

As classical retailers face tough competition from online sector (H&M announced in December sales in the September-November period were far below its own expectations, planning to close more H&M stores and opening fewer new ones, according to media reports) the retail industry is sensitive to new developments.

Kino-mo’s Hypervision Wall benefited from a lot of attention in Las Vegas. Made up of multiple propeller-looking modules adorned with programmable LEDs, the Wall creates holographic images up to 3 meters in size. This is a cutting-edge visual solution for creating, managing and displaying unique 3D video content with holographic effect. It uniquely combines a smart Hypervsn management platform and a Hypervsn projection unit, a hi-tech hardware device generating stunning 3D visuals perceived by viewers as hi-resolution holograms floating in the mid-air. It can be used in a shopping mall, increasing footfall for the retailers which implement this solution. Early versions of Hypervsn were successfully used by Red Bull, BMW, McDonald’s, Virgin Media, Dell or Moet Hennesy.

WORKSPACES SIMPLIFIES IN FORMAT & ADOPTS INNOVATION

As people are changing the way they are organizing their personal and professional lives, the workspace concept is also adapting and tends to be a more simplified & cost competitive format. Office developers look closely at the new techniques available and also take into consideration co-working spaces along with classic occupied property.

Virtelo is a touchscreen technology that provides the office visitors with a unique and friendly alternative to the typical front desk receptionist. Office security should be on the minds of business owners. Using Virtelo, companies can lock their doors to protect employees and data, yet still provide a personal touch to visitors and guests. It works based on a monthly subscription.

The Vuzix Blade Smart Sunglasses, officially unveiled at CES 2018, provide a wearable smart display with a see-through viewing experience utilizing Vuzix’s proprietary waveguide optics and Cobra II display engine. It’s like having your computer or smartphone screen information with you wherever you go.

Where we work, how we work and how we get to work is also influencing the workspace format. Smacircle, based in Shenzhen, China, claims it’s built the world’s most compact and lightweight foldable eBike, also presented for the first time at CES 2018. Weighing in at roughly 15 pounds (6.8 kg), the bike can be folded into a small backpack and locked using your phone.

NEW GADGETS MAKE HOMES MORE SECURE & FRIENDLY

Smart homes already represent an old subject on the real estate agenda, but new, improved gadgets launched at CES 2018 showed how technology can make life simpler.

Buddy the robot looks as cute as his name is and can also do some tricks around your home. It can control your smart residence, respond to voice commands, act as a home security device, play music acts as a calendar or alarm clock.

Singlecue tracks your hand in the air, allowing you to control your media and living room devices touch-free. The system controls the entertainment devices, removing the necessity for remotes. Singlecue connects to the existing TV and media devices and works with over 100,000 devices.

Ultraloq is designed to be keyless for maximum flexibility and convenience. It can be used by fingerprint, code or key to unlock. The client has full control of all guests’ access and can simply share a code to let visitors in when he or she are not there. It can work also just by knocking the phone in the pocket.

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Positive economic outlook drives investors’ focus to Romania and SEE region in 2018
Positive economic outlook drives investors’ focus to Romania and SEE region in 2018 920 420 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Positive economic outlook drives investors’ focus

to Romania and SEE region in 2018

With another year of economic healthy grow predicted for Europe, Romania is the star of the SEE region, as forecasts of the European Commission are for a 4.4% increase in 2018 of the local economy.

“The dominant theme for real estate capital markets in 2018 is the tension between the pressure to invest and the fear that real estate is late in the cycle, highly priced and thus carries latent risk”, as states the Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: Europe 2018 survey by PwC & Urban Land Institute.

According to JLL estimations, the total volume of real estate investment deals might reach the sum of one billion EUR in 2017. The estimations are based on the value of the deals closed in the first semester, namely 485 million EUR.

The year was characterized by the entry of two new players on the market, both of SouthAfrican origin.

  • Atterbury Europe bought 50% of the group founded by local businessman, Iulian Dascalu, comprising of 4 shopping malls and 3 office buildings.
  • Growthpoint acquired 26.9% from Globalworth, the real estate investment fund established by Ioannis Papalekas, at a value estimated at 186.4 million EUR.

Both vendors use the capital to further expand their presence on the market. Towards the end of the year, Globalworth was again in the news, as EBRD entered the shareholding with a 4% stake.

While the appetite for development of Globalworth increased significantly in 2017, the other major player on the market, NEPI wasn’t involved in any acquisition. The company finalized the merger with Rockcastle and strategically wants to focus on the retail segment, planning to sell the office portfolio in 2018.

In a wish to cash in from the effervescence on the real estate market, corporations have begun to sell their real estate assets to focus on the core-business:

  • Telekom has sold to Forte Partners a land downtown Bucharest and plans to sell Tandem building located in the same area.
  • OMV Petrom also announced plans to sell a building located in an area targeted by real estate investors – Aviatiei, near Barbu Vacarescu – Floreasca hub.

TOP INVESTMENT DEALS IN 2017

The top was compiled by BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB, based on the information issued by major consultancy companies.

PwC: Logistics ranked no. 1 for Investment in Europe
PwC: Logistics ranked no. 1 for Investment in Europe 1200 800 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

PwC: Logistics ranked no.1

for Investment in Europe

General economic outlook is positive, with expectations for profits and headcounts to increase in 2018, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: Europe 2018 survey by PwC & Urban Land Institute, based on 512 respondents from across 22 European countries. The key issues impacting businesses this year are the availability of suitable assets/land and construction costs.

MAIN TRENDS

INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN THE FOCUS

Given the impact of technology upon real estate, industrial sector is ranked number one for investment and development prospects in 2018, largely on the back of the growth in online retail sales.

“Technological change is clearly playing out in the retail sector, and as retail shrinks, logistics expands, as does the last-mile delivery convenience to the consumer”, says one global capital markets adviser.

RESIDENTIAL HITS TIPPING POINT

Until recently, residential was seen by many institutional players as a niche sector, and for some, too specialist. Today, the industry appears less bothered by the obstacles to investment and increasingly swayed by the opportunities that could emerge from huge housing shortages across Europe. The Emerging Trends Europe survey reveals availability of affordable housing as one of the key social problems facing the industry in 2018 – more of a concern than environmental issues and mass migration.

REDEVELOPMENT INSTEAD OF SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Redevelopment is the most attractive way to acquire prime assets, thus translating into a low-risk strategy based on astute asset management and refurbishment rather than a hasty return to speculative development.

SMART ASSET MANAGEMENT

The greater importance attached to asset management reinforces the trend by institutional investors towards employing fewer and larger managers. Low returns and a lack of product in a late-cycle market have underlined the importance of “smart asset management”.

“We are not going to be able to generate the returns we want by buying assets and sitting on them,” says one pan-European investment manager. “We have to think about the management of the tenants, refurbishment and re-gearing.”

In Romania, Skanska is to implement the virtual reception concept in Campus 6 project

CO-WORKING TAKES HOLD

The rise of the flexible office sector and co-working stands out in Emerging Trends Europe. They are much more than simply property buzzwords but, as the interviews reveal, a workplace phenomenon whose influence has taken hold of the European industry in a profound way since last year’s report.

“As landlords we have to be more flexible,” says one convert to co-working. “Tenants are asking for shorter leases and break options. It requires a change in mindset and a willingness to take more risk.”
“Not everything is going to be WeWork,” says one value-add investor. “I still think there’s a huge amount of money to be made in traditional offices with larger occupiers. But the proportion of the market will grow for co-working, smaller companies, incubator space. Flexibility within buildings – the ability to sub-divide – becomes increasingly important, which comes back to obsolescence.”

In Romania, Impact Hub inaungurated a new premises last autumn in Vastint’s Timpuri Noi Square project.

Emerging Trends in Real Estate® Europe 2018 reveals an industry that is becoming more complex, yet more transparent and accessible. Whatever the outcome, it is certain that the industry will need new skill sets, new ways of collaborating outside traditional industry boundaries and new business models to survive and compete in the new real estate ecosystem. You can read more info about the survey here.

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