Property In Brief: Manufaktura leases; Merlin.com's move; Foreign investment

The investor, Apsys, has signed over 200 contracts with retail trade companies from 15 different countries. ... Merlin.com, one of the largest domestic Internet shops has rented 2,000 square meters of warehouse space and 700 square meters of office space in the Diamond Business Park, in Piaseczno on the outskirts of Warsaw. The building complex belongs to AIG/Lincoln Polska. ... Poland's accession to the EU as well as sparking rapid economic growth has led to a sudden increase in international retailers interested in investments in domestic commercial centers. According to analysts around 200 foreign brands are currently looking at launching operations in Poland. Around 300,000 square meters of office space will be rented in 2005 in Warsaw alone. (Puls Biznesu, Lokale i Grunty Supplement, pp. III, IV,VI) A.K.