Cushman & Wakefield forecasts that investment in retail real estate in Portugal will at least double this year, Bloomberg reports.

The news agency quotes an analyst for the estate agency in Lisbon, Marta Costa, as saying investment in shop premises in Portugal amounted to 740 million euros (US$916 million) last year.

Housing prices in the historical centre of Lisbon increased by 67 percent between 2008 and 2017, Bloomberg says, citing data compiled by Confidencial Imobiliario.

Many Chinese have taken the opportunity offered by a scheme that gives foreigners other than EU citizens the right to live in Portugal if they buy property there worth at least 500,000 euros.