European Outlook 2022 – Focus on France 2021 | Real Asset Media | 9 December 2021 | TBA, France, Paris

International investors have been itching to return to the French market, which showed its resilience during the pandemic. Paris remains one of the largest, most liquid and most resilient markets globally, as well as the biggest office market in the world. There is plenty of capital from South Korea, the Middle East, Europe and the US, but investors face two old problems: shortage of available stock and a deeply polarized market, with fierce competition for core assets. What is the outlook for the real estate market in 2022?

Domestic investors have been particularly active during the crisis. Will they continue to play a big role in the year ahead? With presidential elections coming up next year, what is the political risk? Will the reforms Macron initiated continue and what impact are they having on the property sector? ESG compliance has become a must in the French market: can investors find what they are looking for? How difficult is to re-purpose existing, often listed historic buildings to make them ESG-compliant?

In the office sector take-up dropped significantly and rents are set to decline. La Défense area has seen rent declines and a higher vacancy rate: what is the outlook for the year ahead? To what extent has Paris benefitted from Brexit? What are the opportunities for value-add? What about the logistics sector? How does the French market compare to Germany and other key European markets? What is the outlook for the main sectors?

To what extent are big infrastructure projects like Grand Paris and the prospect of the Olympic Games in 2024 boosting the attractiveness of Paris for international capital? Will investment volumes increase further? How does Paris compare to locations such as London, Amsterdam or Berlin? How is the recovery of the hospitality sector going? What are the key challenges ahead?

2021 Speaker

Benjamin Cartier-Bresson
Head, Paris Office Berlin Hyp AG

Edward Bates
President and CEO Stam Europe, France

Guillaume Turcas
Managing Partner FARO CAPITAL PARTNERS, France