Interview with Jakub Velko
| Jakub Velko works at 108 AGENCY as a senior consultant in the industrial department. He successfully graduated in Marketing and Media in Bratislava. He also worked at Radio Expres during his studies. Since then, Mr. Velko has led his professional journey through the world of media and continued in the gastronomy business, to event management and sales. At 108 AGENCY, he has led several projects – the most significant success was the delivery of 15,000 sqm of warehouse space for an e-commerce client. Mr. Jakub Velko has delivered altogether more than 30,000 sqm to clients in less than 2 years of operation in the industry. |
| 1. 108 Agency has built a strong position in the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian markets. What kind of innovations have you successfully implemented as part of market development? Innovations are very important for a sustainable business. In my opinion those companies that do not innovate and do not keep up with the trends result in having a much worse position in the market and the competition will overtake them. We are very aware of this at 108 Agency. As regular meetings are still limited and our work is mostly about building good relationships with clients and developers, we try to use various applications for conference calls, which simplify our entire work and helps us solve the current situation. However, in addition to other innovations, we are also working on the introduction of an online system – “108 industrial map” that will allow our client to generate an offer exactly according to his requirements and in real-time. But do not imagine now a classic advertising portal with general information. The client will be able to see here a precisely tailored offer including available warehouse space, layout, photos, other tenants in the park and other information needed to make a relevant decision. 2. In the industrial real estate market, the interest in outsourcing logistics services is growing. In response to this trend, 108 AGENCY established a new division that is responsible for the brokering of logistics services. Tell us more about this project. I can speak mainly for the Slovak branch of 108 Agency, but let’s say we have opened the door to this sector as well within the 108 agency. At a time when countless online stores are being set up every day, it is necessary to ensure that these online retailers can distribute their goods to customers without having to immediately look for their own warehouse space, commit to rents and employ warehouse keepers. The solution is logistics services that are flexible when it comes to the number of goods you store in them. The companies that provide these services will take care of the entire process – unloading from the truck, storing the goods within their warehouses, picking the goods for dispatch. Many of them can also provide transport to the final customer. Thus, a figurative trader, figuratively speaking, does not have to move his leg out of the apartment and does not have to come into contact with the product itself. I consider this to be the future, and that is why we have prepared the conditions so that we can respond quickly to this type of demand. We offer various options throughout Slovakia. 3. “108 AGENCY” won Best Warehouse Real Estate Agency Award and Best Tenant award at the CIJ Awards for the third year in a row. What is the secret of gaining and maintaining this leadership? The recipe is relatively simple – it may sound like a cliché, ,but hard work is the foundation. In addition, we constantly try to communicate with clients, establish new contacts, we always try to be fair to our partners and, last but not least, we offer professional services. The CIJ Awards is voted on by the professional public and this is the best feedback for us, for which we are very grateful, and at the same time, it is a commitment for us to constantly improve. 4. What is your opinion about positioning WOF EXPO in the CEE region? WOF EXPO is a large event that brings together professionals from several sectors, who can find synergies and establish successful cooperation. That’s why I consider it one of the top fairs that will definitely pay off. |
 | 108 AGENCY is a real-estate consulting agency that has been exclusively focused on commercial properties since 2009. Since its founding, it has sold and leased more than 7 million square meters and established a strong position in the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian markets.
108 AGENCY is the only commercial real estate company on the market that is 100% Czech-and-Slovak owned and run. Thanks to the absence of a multinational headquarters, the agency can fully devote itself to fulfilling its distinctive approach to clients, which combines experience and expertise with fairness and personal touch.
www.108agency.sk |