1. Egypt: Government investment bolsters hotel business
Egyptian government infrastructure investments aimed at supporting tourism, such as airport expansions and road improvements, have begun to pay off in the form of rising foreign visitor counts and hotel business, according to analysts.
“Egypt’s hotel industry has experienced a solid rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting significant investment and witnessing a surge in inventory,” said Maximilian Quack, JLL’s senior vice president of hotels and hospitality for the Middle East and Asia. With revenue and occupancy on the rise, Egypt has a development pipeline of 143 hotels and 33,926 rooms, according to the Hotel Development Pipeline Report by W Hospitality Group.
2. UK: Foreign investors take bigger share of real estate deals
Property investment has followed a similar pattern this year across the United Kingdom, French and German commercial real estate markets, with increased interest among foreign investors helping to boost otherwise stubbornly flat transaction figures.
That pattern contrasts sharply with the United States, where inbound foreign investment has fallen away. Investment in U.K. commercial real estate has been flat for the past two quarters with overseas investment proving one of the main bright spots for activity, according to data from CoStar and industry analysts.
3. France: Retail property sales gain momentum
French retail property investment picked up speed in the first half of 2025, though analysts said transactions were dominated by extra-large portfolio deals.
Data firm Immprove said momentum was driven mainly by sales of food-related properties, such as a portfolio of nine Carrefour supermarkets. This reflects an environment of “hyper-selectivity” regarding product being purchased, according to brokerage JLL. “Investors are showing a real willingness to make acquisitions, provided the pricings are attractive,” said Jessica Jaoui, a regional director of retail investment at JLL.
4. Germany: Apartment prices rise in second quarter
Prices for German apartment properties rose 5.6% on average in the second quarter compared with a year earlier as rents and investor demand increased, according to the Association of German Pfandbrief Banks.
The apartment category’s annual price gain was well above the 3.3% rise for offices and the 2% increase for retail properties. The banking group’s apartment purchase price index has now risen for five consecutive quarters, with apartment rents climbing 3.5% from the second quarter of 2024.
5. Canada: NHL’s Senators reach agreement for site of new arena
The Ottawa Senators hockey team is set to become the new owner of a development site in LeBreton Flats, a downtown property the team has long sought as the site of a future arena and mixed-use development.
Capital Sports Development Inc., a company led by the owners of the NHL’s Senators, and the National Capital Commission, or NCC, said in a statement they “signed an agreement of purchase and sale for land parcels totaling approximately 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.” The deal has been in the works for at least three years, with sports news sites reporting the price at just over $30 million.
6. US: Commercial property executives say recovery has arrived
As far as commercial real estate services firms are concerned, dealmaking is back.
After years of trying to predict when the industry would improve, the five biggest of those companies — CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Colliers and Newmark — raised their financial outlooks for 2025 after posting some of their best earnings in years. Added commissions from property sales and leasing fueled a second quarter that also benefited from increased financing as well as property management fees.
This report was compiled from CoStar’s news publications in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany.