French Fund Corum Will Invest €450M-€500M In Europe In 2017

8 March 2017 – Expansión

The real estate fund manager Corum Asset Management has placed its focus on Spain. The firm, created in 2011 and with offices in Paris and Amsterdam, has closed 2016 with a record investment figure of €328 million.

In the case of Spain, the manager chose the market to carry out its first operation outside of France, acquiring its first asset in 2013: a retail property in Tarragona, which is leased to MediaMarkt.

Three years later, in May last year, Corum sold that asset to a fund managed by Ciloger for €9.43 million. “2016 was a record year in terms of transactions, with a deal volume amounting to €360 million, of which €328 million involved acquisitions. In addition, we made our first sale in an overseas market in 2016, in this case in Spain, where we achieved a significant return”, explained Philipp Cervesa, Head of Investments at Corum AM.

Besides that sale, the French manager closed three purchases amounting to €41.4 million in Spain, involving logistics assets, during the year. Specifically, in April, it acquired two platforms in Gerona and Guadalajara, with a combined surface area of 35,670 m2. Three months later, Corum AM paid more than €24.8 million for a logistics building leased to the company Trabis. “Our strategy is to bet on real estate cycles. We are investing in Spain because it offers good diversification and is a very dynamic market”, said Cervesi.

Both operations achieved a return of around 7.6%. “We invested heavily between 2013 and 2014, when the market fell, and thanks to that, we have undertaken some good deals, such as the sale of the property leased to MediaMarkt, which we sold last year for a hefty profit”. A high return that the manager forecasts it will maintain in 2017. “We are looking for assets with long-term lease contracts and high returns, of around 7%, he added.

This year, the manager, which invests directly through an Asset Management fund, has set itself the objective of increasing its portfolio to €500 million. “Our strategy for 2017 is to invest between €450 million and €500 million in the Eurozone. We have not set ourselves any country limits, which means that we could buy an unlimited amount in Spain”, explained the Head of the fund.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake