CONTACT US
Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn I recommend visiting cushmanwakefield.com to read:%0A%0A {0} %0A%0A {1}

Czech Republic has more than one million square metres of retail parks

29/04/2021

A total of 23 retail park projects with a total area of almost 55,000 square metres were completed in the Czech Republic last year, with the volume of development exceeding a ten-year average. In effect, the aggregate area of all retail parks in the Czech Republic has exceeded one million square metres. Retail park development currently focuses on smaller towns with up to 40,000 inhabitants; the greatest volume of new development was in the Central Bohemian Region last year. Given their focus on essential goods shops and with entrances directly from car parks, retail parks are resilient and fare well despite the coronavirus crisis, enjoying interest among both developers and investors. The findings come from an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield, the only real estate consultancy on the Czech market having an expert team specialised in retail parks.

Fourteen new retail parks

The term ‘retail park’ denotes a retail scheme on the outskirts of the town, usually combined with a food chain store, which offers at least three essential goods shops with separate entrances and a shared car park. During the course of 2020, 23 schemes such as this with a total retail area of almost 55,000 square metres1 were newly built or expanded. Out of those, 14 (more than three-quarters at 77 per cent) were newly built projects. Expansions of existing schemes accounted for 19 per cent, and supermarkets and hypermarkets rebuilt into retail parks accounted for four per cent. As a result, there are currently more than 250 retail parks in the Czech Republic overall.
Since the last construction boom in 2009 when some 80,000 square metres of retail parks were completed, the annual average of completed space was 42,000 sq m, which makes last year above average.

Martin Kubín, Associate and Head of Retail Warehousing and Land Transactions in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield: “Compared with preceding years, 2020 can be rated as very strong in terms of the volume of new development. Retail parks are currently an attractive concept for developers and investors. Last year, they outperformed classic shopping centres in terms of the volume of development.”

Shopping on the way home from work

With 7,500 square metres (excluding the area of the supermarket), Kolín Ovčáry is the largest retail park opened last year. Most retail parks – more than a quarter of the total area developed last year – were built in the Central Bohemian Region.

Martin Kubín, Associate and Head of Retail Warehousing and Land Transactions in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield: “One of the reasons is the people who commute to the capital city for work, whether from new residential areas around Prague or from more distant parts of the Central Bohemian Region. The local citizens who work in Prague represent major purchasing power – their income is higher and they drive to work. They buy essential goods from shops that are easily accessible by car on their way home from work – whether close to their residence or on leaving Prague. That fosters the growth of new retail parks within the city’s broader surroundings, such as in Unhošť and Vestec.”

Focus on smaller towns

Unhošť and Vestec are actually quite exceptional among the locations where retail parks were built last year because of their size measured in the number of citizens. Both municipalities have fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, which is usually not sufficient purchasing power to support a retail park. The schemes were developed there primarily for the great number of citizens of more or less distant communities who drive through Unhošť and Vestec every day on their way to and from work. Last year, retail parks were typically built in municipalities of the next category with 5,000 to 12,500 citizens, most often in district towns with 25,000 to 40,000 citizens.

Martin Kubín, Associate and Head of Retail Warehousing and Land Transactions in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield: “Almost two-thirds of retail parks were built in smaller towns and municipalities of up to 40,000 inhabitants last year. Fewer retail parks were built in larger towns and cities: that market is saturated due to the development in previous years, and their citizens can also use larger standard shopping centres and high street shops.”

Retail parks prosper despite the crisis

Compared with shops in high streets and shopping centres, retail parks have several advantages that allow them to thrive even during the coronavirus crisis when other retail concepts suffer mostly as a result of having to repeatedly close under government regulations. With a focus on essential goods stores (food, chemists, pharmacies, household equipment and pet shops), a relatively large percentage of retail parks remains open without restrictions.

Martin Kubín, Associate and Head of Retail Warehousing and Land Transactions in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield: “The architectural design of retail parks currently appears to work to their advantage. With separate premises and a dedicated entrance to each shop, there are no closed common areas, passages and so on, and while the car park is shared, it is not roofed. In effect, customers are not so much concerned about crowds of people and virus spreading.”

All retail market players notice the advantages

Of course, retailers have noted the popularity of retail parks and their benefits in situations such as this. Even those that to date have operated primarily within standard shopping centres currently often consider locating their shops in retail parks when planning expansion or relocation.

Martin Kubín, Associate and Head of Retail Warehousing and Land Transactions in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield: “For tenants, retail parks usually mean lower rents as well as savings on other costs – such as common areas that are not there. Conversely, tenants in shopping centres can benefit from other advantages such as a multitude of impulse buyers attracted by other retail and leisure concepts, whereas retail parks are oriented primarily on targeted shopping. Each type of retail scheme has its pros and cons; at any rate, retail parks in the Czech Republic are and will remain popular among customers, retailers, investors and developers.”

 

Retail park area does not include the area of supermarkets or hypermarkets where they are part of the schemes.

Related News

Czech Republic MarketBeats Teaser Image.jpg
Investment in Commercial Real Estate in the CEE Region Attracts Record Capital Inflows; Czech Republic Strengthens Its Position as a Regional Leader

The commercial real estate (CRE) market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continues its dynamic growth.

23/09/2025

city, building
Commercial Real Estate Investment in the Czech Republic Breaks Records – EUR 2.1 Billion in H1

The commercial real estate investment market in the Czech Republic is experiencing an exceptionally strong period.

Martina Pavlíková • 18/07/2025

123
In the first half of the year, 16 new brands entered the Czech Republic

Sixteen brands entered the Czech retail market in the first six months of this year. The most common segments were fashion (clothing, footwear, and accessories – 6 brands) and gastronomy (F&B – 5 brands). Fourteen of the new entries opened in Prague, with one in České Budějovice and one in Třebíč.

26/06/2025

AdobeStock_982998512_750x456.jpg
In 2024, demand for industrial halls dropped by a third. What will 2025 bring?

After a record-breaking year in 2023, when nearly 2.96 million sq m of industrial space was in demand1, the industrial market experienced a significant slowdown in 2024.

Martina Pavlíková • 19/06/2025

Czech Mall.jpg
Luxury Retail 2025
Rising Rents and Growing Demand for Leisure Concepts Highlighted in Retail Analysis

Prime rents on Europe’s leading shopping streets, in shopping centres, and retail parks increased on average in 2024.

06/05/2025

Flexing Office thumbnail
Record Growth for Flexible Offices in the Czech Republic: Over 172,500 Square Meters, also Expanding in Regions

Flexible offices in the Czech Republic are experiencing record growth.

23/04/2025

Related Insights

city, cover
Insights

CEE Investment Market Update H1 2025

CEE investment Market Outlook 2025 analyse commercial real estate in Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.
Marie Baláčová • 05/09/2025
Uvodka_CWInsightsOutlook_H2_2025_750x456.png
Video • Economy

What you need to know about commercial real estate market | Outlook H2 2025

Explore our real estate market snapshot, a video overview of the commercial real estate market developments presenting the key trends in real estate investment, logistics, office, retail and hospitality sectors.
Marie Baláčová • 01/09/2025
Czech Republic MarketBeats Teaser Image.jpg
MarketBeat

Czech Republic MarketBeats

MarketBeat reports analyse quarterly Czech Republic commercial property activity across office, retail, industrial and hotel real estate sectors including supply, demand and pricing trends at the market and submarket levels.
Kamila Breen • 28/07/2025
coworking
Research

Coworking and Serviced Offices

Explore the dynamics of the flexible offices in the Czech Republic.
Kamila Breen • 16/04/2025
25009_ European Luxury Retail report 2025_Web Card (SMALL) 750x456px.png
Research

European Luxury Retail

Explore the dynamics of the European luxury retail real estate market.
Sally Bruer • 10/03/2025
office, statistics, laptop
MarketBeat

CEE MarketBeats

Cushman & Wakefield MarketBeat reports analyse quarterly commercial real estate activity in the CEE region (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia) across office, retail, industrial and hospitality real estate sectors.
Marie Baláčová • 17/02/2025
European Retail Logistics
Research

Revolution in Retail Logistics

The retail sector is adapting to new challenges and optimizing logistics for more efficient operations.
28/11/2024
Prague, Czech Republic
Research • Economy

Czech Real Estate Market View

A regular update on the commercial real estate market in Czech Republic.
Marie Baláčová • 27/04/2023

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Get in touch with one of our professionals.
With your permission we and our partners would like to use cookies in order to access and record information and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device to ensure our website performs as expected, to develop and improve our products, and for advertising and insight purposes.

Alternatively click on More Options and select your preferences before providing or refusing consent. Some processing of your personal data may not require your consent, but you have a right to object to such processing.

You can change your preferences at any time by returning to this site or clicking on Cookies
MORE OPTIONS
Agree and Close
These cookies ensure that our website performs as expected,for example website traffic load is balanced across our servers to prevent our website from crashing during particularly high usage.
These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced features. These cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for advertising or remember where you have been on the internet.
These cookies allow us to work with our marketing partners to understand which ads or links you have clicked on before arriving on our website or to help us make our advertising more relevant to you.
Agree All
Reject All
Save settings