Month: July 2018

Solvia Acknowledges That it Will Have to Generate Value from Solvia “Sooner or Later”

27 July 2018 – La Vanguardia

The CEO of Banco Sabadell, Jaime Guardiola, has acknowledged that “sooner or later”, he will have to generate value from Solvia, highlighting the “great job” that the entity has done and how “proud” he feels of the servicer.

That was according to the bank’s most senior executive at the presentation of Sabadell’s half-year results, where he reported that the entity has recorded a net profit of €120.6 million, down by 67.2% compared to the same period a year earlier, due to the provisions recognised as a result of the reduction in problem assets and the migration costs of the platform of TSB, its British subsidiary.

“Solvia not only serves assets on the bank’s books but also those of other clients such as Sareb. Beyond its financial value, it has a great industrial value, with some great professionals with a very different profile from those in the banking sector”, he specified.

In Guardiola’s opinion, Solvia is one of the bank’s entities that has done “a great job”, and so if at any time this value were to be realised and recognised, then selling the asset could become an option, although currently, it contributes in a positive way to Sabadell’s accounts.

Recently, the entity chaired by Josep Oliu disposed of four portfolios comprising problem assets with a gross value of €12.2 billion, which were awarded to the funds Axactor, Cerberus and Deutsche Bank, together with Carval.

The day on which it announced the sale of the largest batch of assets, worth €9.1 billion, Sabadell reassured the market that Solvia would continue to form a critical part of the bank and would continue to provide integral management services of the real estate assets subject to the operation on an exclusive basis.

Original story: La Vanguardia 

Translation: Carmel Drake

A Spanish Socimi Debuts on the Paris Stock Market to Avoid the MAB’s Requirements

26 July 2018 – Idealista

Some of Spain’s Socimis are looking beyond the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) in search of visibility, prestige…and one or more regulatory benefits. Logis Confort, the Socimi owned by the Valencian property developer and construction firm CV Grupo, has become the first in Spain to list on the Euronext exchange.

The company made its debut on the stock market headquartered in Paris on 13 July, at a price of €2.20 per share and a market capitalisation of more than €11 million; its portfolio comprises seven assets. Together its assets span a surface area of 23,521 m2 and are worth around €15 million, according to Gesvalt’s calculations.

Logis Confort is dedicated to the rental of industrial and logistics buildings. Founded in 2001 by Salvador Vila Arcos, the owner of CV Grupo (which specialises in building and leasing industrial warehouses and spaces), the company adopted the Socimi structure in August 2016. The firm, which has been advised by Armanext (the largest Spanish advisor in taking Socimis to the European stock market) has its headquarters in San Fernando de Henares, in Madrid.

The company is currently working on medium- and long-term projects and its aim is the acquisition of buildings, through purchase or development, in areas “with a great industrial tradition and close to large Spanish cities, to transfer them for rent”, according to the firm. The group’s shareholders include Salvador Vila Arcos, who owns 50% of the capital; Edelmiro Copoví, who owns 25%; and his brother José Manuel Copoví, who owns the remaining 25%.

The company’s shareholder structure is, precisely, one of the features that draws the most attention. Since it does not have any minority shareholders, the vehicle cannot trade on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) where all of Spain’s other Socimis are listed, with the exception of the largest, which trade on the traditional stock market. It was just a year ago, when the manager of the market decided to tighten up the rules and, since then, it has forced these types of companies to have a minimum quantity of minority shareholders to approve their stock market debuts (…).

Therefore, since it did not have any minority shareholders, it soon became clear that the Socimi would have to undertake the operation on another European market. And Euronext is the one that establishes the fewest requirements in this regard, specifically the market called Euronext Access (there is another one called ‘Growth’, which establishes more onerous requirements). As such, it was chosen for the firm’s stock market debut to allow it to maintain the tax benefits that are afforded to Socimis (…).

Logis’s portfolio

Logis Confort has a portfolio of assets comprising seven industrial properties and several parking lots in Madrid and Valencia, two markets that are being boosted by the improvement in the economy, the recovery in exports, domestic consumption and e-commerce. By market value and surface area, the jewel in Logis Confort’s crown is the logistics warehouse located in Picassent, in Valencia, which spans 11,800 m2 and has a market value of €8 million. That property is leased to Facil Europe and Transfesa.

Also in Valencia, the Socimi owns assets in Almussafers and Ribarroja, which together have a market value of €6 million and span an industrial space of more than 10,700 m2. In Madrid, the company owns a logistics property in San Fernando de Henares, leased to Transecort Logistics, which has a market price of less than €1 million (…).

Original story: Idealista (by Custodio Pareja and Ana P. Alarcos)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Almagro Capital, the Socimi Specialising in Homes for the Elderly, Prepares its MAB Debut

27 July 2018 – Idealista

Increasingly, more and more Socimis specialising in alternative assets are wanting to take their portfolios to the stock market. The latest is Almagro Capital, one of the largest Socimis to specialise in residential assets for the elderly. The company has proposed making its leap onto the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) in 2019 and raising €50 million to grow through purchases.

Almagro’s business model focuses on acquiring homes for the elderly whereby the vendors themselves become the tenants of their homes. These investments respond to an increasingly widespread problem in Spain that directly affects the elderly: 90% of people aged over 65 years live in a home that they own and 30% admit to struggling to make ends meet.

Almagro Capital was founded last year by former directors of Lehman Brothers and Merril Lynch. It will be the first Socimi from Orfila to focus its activity in Madrid. The company started with prime flats in the capital since they are assets with less volatility and which can achieve returns for investors of 10% per annum. Chamberí, Chamartín and Goya are the areas where the Socimi is centred.

The real estate vehicle has started the search for new assets, located in the metropolitan areas of the main Spanish cities, such as Madrid, Valencia, Málaga, Salamanca, Granada, Bilbao and Sevilla, amongst others, although it points out that its focus is placed on the Community of Madrid, and more specifically, on the region inside the M-30.

Almagro Capital is planning to make its debut on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) in the summer of 2019. Until then, the company will continue to focus on the search for new opportunities in the market and is holding advanced negotiations to buy new assets in Madrid worth between €300,000 and €3 million.

Original story: Idealista

Translation: Carmel Drake

Única Purchases a Portfolio of 5 Assets from AM Locales for €4.6M

27 July 2018 – Idealista

The Socimis are trading assets. Única Real Estate is getting out its chequebook for the first time since it made its debut on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) to purchase a package of five commercial establishments from the Socimi AM Locales Property for €4.6 million. The assets are located on the main commercial thoroughfares of Madrid and Móstoles.

Única Real Estate is going to add to its portfolio a store at number 30 Calle Goya, another at number 31 Calle Augusto Figueroa and a third at number 310 Calle Alcalá, all in Madrid. In Móstoles, the assets are located at number 23 Avenida Dos de Mayo.

The total price of the premises described amounts to €4.6 million, and they span a combined constructed surface area of approximately 805 m2. “This purchase has been financed using own funds and with a mortgage loan from Bankinter for €2 million”, explain sources at the group.

Única Real Estate owns 35 retail premises in the Community of Madrid, with a combined value of €32.5 million, that generate annual rental income of more than €1.9 million. Currently, the Socimi’s capital is owned by 53 shareholders, including the company’s executives.

The Socimi, specialising in retail premises, has set itself the objective of investing at least €10 million each year on the purchase of new establishments in the Community of Madrid and other large Spanish cities. Única Real Estate, which made its stock market debut in June with a price of €25.25 per share, is also planning to undertake new capital increases over the coming months.

Meanwhile, AM Locales Property made its MAB debut last summer with a portfolio of 40 properties. The Socimi started its activity in 1990 and since then, has been undertaking a variety of real estate acquisitions in Spain. The company’s assets are, for the most part, commercial premises. Its properties are managed by Inversiones GB Balboa, which is controlled indirectly by the company (100%).

Original story: Idealista (by Custodio Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Testa Residencial Debuts on the MAB with a Share Price Rise of 1.44%

26 July 2018 – La Información

The shares of Testa Residencial have made their conclusive debut on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) with a rise of 1.44% to €14.10 per share. The Socimi made its stock market debut at a price of €13.86 per share, which meant that the company became the second largest on the MAB by trading value, exceeding even some of the entities listed on the Ibex such as Indra and DIA.

The Board of Directors had established a reference price for its shares of €6, which represented a market valuation for the company as a whole of €204 million. The company’s trading code is going to be “YCPS”, Renta 4 Corporate is the Registered Advisor and Renta 4 Banco is acting as the Liquidity Provider.

Testa Residencial is the leading private company in the residential rental market in Spain (excluding portfolios owned by financial institutions). It is owned by Santander (36.8%), BBVA (25.6%), Acciona (20%) and Merlin Properties (17%).

The Socimi operates in the residential segment in Spain and has a portfolio comprising more than 10,000 homes. Its assets are primarily located in Madrid, although it also has a presence in San Sebastián, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia. Its properties were valued at €2.276 billion by Savills Aguirre Newman at the end of 2017 and the majority of them, 77.5% of the GAV, are located in premium locations.

In addition, over the last year, the combined value of its properties has increased by almost €73 million, according to the latest data.

Testa had initially planned to make its IPO on the main stock market in June this year. The rental home Socimi wanted to make its debut through a public share sale offer (OPV) and a public subscription offer (OPS) of new shares, the latter for €130 million, both aimed at institutional investors. In the end, in light of the political situation, the firm in which Merlin Properties holds a stake decided to delay its debut until now and change its course towards the Alternative Investment Market.

Original story: La Información 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Sabadell Sacrifices Profits to Clean Up its Balance Sheet & Resolve the TSB Crisis

27 July 2018 – Expansión

Banco Sabadell has decided to sacrifice all of the profit that it obtained in the last quarter to clean up its balance sheet and leave behind the impact of the sale of its real estate portfolios and the complex IT integration of TSB.

The entity chaired by Josep Oliu earned €120.6 million during the first half of the year, a figure that represents a decrease of 67.2% with respect to the same period last year (€317.7 million) as a result of having recognised impairments amounting to €806 million. Nevertheless, if we ignore those extraordinary effects, the bank’s recurring net profit grew by 24.4% to €456.8 million.

The entity decided to take a hit on the income statement for the second quarter with a provision amounting to €177 million resulting from the macro sale operation of a real estate portfolio worth €12.2 billion and which was formalised in July, in other words, in the third quarter. In parallel, it decided to recognise a provision amounting to €92.4 million to deal with future compensation payments to customers of its British subsidiary, TSB, who were affected by problems caused by the connection of a new IT platform developed by Sabadell.

With this measure, the bank wants to shelve the technological crisis that it suffered in the United Kingdom and also leave its balance sheet almost completely free of the toxic assets that it accumulated during the economic crisis. Specifically, during the first six months of 2018, Sabadell decreased its problem assets by €7.012 billion, and by €9.547 billion during the last twelve months. Now, the problem balance amounts to €7.911 billion, of which €6.669 billion are doubtful debts of all kind (not only real estate) and €1.242 billion are foreclosed properties. Thus, the ratio of net problem assets over total assets amounts to 1.7%. The default ratio following the portfolio sales amounts to 4.5%.

As at 30 June 2018, the bank’s fully loaded CET1 capital ratio amounted to 11%, although that will rise to 11.2% following the transfer of the majority of the toxic assets, closed in July.

The bank led by Jaime Guardiola has sold the bulk of its non-performing and foreclosed loans to Cerberus, with whom it is going to create a joint venture in which the fund will hold an 80% stake. The entity has also sold portfolios to Deutsche Bank and to Carval Investors. Solvia has not been included in any of those transactions and will continue to be fully owned by Sabadell.

Between January and June, Sabadell increased the volume of its live loan book by 3.7% thanks to a boost from SMEs and mortgages to individuals in Spain. Customer funds increased by 2.8% YoY driven by demand deposit accounts, which amounted to €105.4 billion. Off-balance sheet funds also grew, by 1.2%, during the quarter, primarily due to investment funds.

During the first half of the year, Sabadell’s interest margin remained stable, given that the entity earned practically the same amount as it did in the six months to June 2017 (€1.81 billion). The bank has been affected by exchange differences and a reduction in results from financial operations (-51%); by contrast, fee income grew by 6%. Thus, the gross margin fell by 8.8% to €2.631 billion.

The reaction of investors to these results has been negative. Sabadell’s share price fell by 2.99%, the third largest drop on the Ibex, to €1.37. So far this year, the bank’s share price has depreciated by more than 14%.

Original story: Expansión (by Sergi Saborit)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Carmena to Outlaw 95% of Madrid’s Tourist Apartments

27 July 2018 – Expansión

The days are numbered for tourist apartments in the centre of Madrid. Yesterday, the Town Hall of Madrid gave the green light to legislation that will put a limit on holiday rentals: 90 days or three months, is the maximum term that a person may rent their home for those purposes. From day 91 onwards, owners will need to have a commercial lodging licence, just like hotels.

Yesterday, the Spanish capital’s Governing Body approved the Special Plan for the Regulation of the Use of Lodgings, which will apply to the city’s most central neighbourhoods. The plan is expected to enter into force at the beginning of 2019, after being approved by the plenary session in October.

The Town Hall led by the mayor Manuela Carmena is also going to prohibit the operation of all homes destined to tourist rental that do not have an independent entrance, like in the case of hotels. According to the Town Hall, with that requirement, “95% of homes that operate as tourist apartments will no longer be able to do so”.

“Specifically, the affected radius will span 52.7 km, distributed in three concentric rings, depending on the massification of the ads. According to the Town Hall, in the rest of the municipality, “the existing legislation will be maintained”. Madrid is, in fact, the European capital where the number of adverts on these platforms has grown by the most, up by 67% in 2017 with respect to 2016, according to a report from Colliers International.

With this legislation, Madrid’s Town Hall is opening a new chapter in the fight between public administrations and tourist apartments. Its intention is to outlaw almost all of the tourist apartments that are advertised on platforms such as Airbnb in the centre of the city.

The prohibition is tacit. The trick is that 95% of the homes advertised on these platforms in the capital do not have an independent entrance. That limitation will only exist in the case of homes that are leased for more than three months. The 90-day limit draws a line between what is considered a home for tourist use and a property in the collaborative economy.

Obtaining a licence is not going to be easy. It will be subject to zoning, following in the footsteps of cities such as Barcelona. Once the Special Plan comes into force, it will not be possible to change the use of a home located within the inner two rings from residential to tertiary, given that those properties account for the majority of the regulated and unregulated tourist supply. Together with this new plan, the Town Hall has approved a moratorium that prohibits the granting of tourist licences of any kind for one year.

Putting a cap on rents

The objective of the plan is to preserve residential use in the central areas of the city that, with the tourist boom and rise of online platforms, are seeing rising rental prices.

In this vein, the Town Hall wants to establish maximum rental prices. To that end, and as it already did in the case of the request for the tourist tax, the delegate for Sustainable Urban Development, José Manuel Calvo, yesterday asked Sanchez’s Governments for the necessary powers.

Original story: Expansión (by I. Benedito)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Madrid’s Town Hall Ratifies its Development Plan for SE

26 July 2018 – Observatorio Inmobiliario

The Plenary Session of the Town Hall of Madrid has approved alterations to the urban planning order in force for the Developments in the Southeast of the Spanish capital, thanks to the votes of Ahora Madrid and the PSOE. At the beginning of July, Madrid’s High Court of Justice (TSJM) provisionally suspended the Town Hall’s plan for this area.

The votes of Ahora Madrid and the PSOE were enough to approve a motion in the Plenary Session of the Town Hall of Madrid that seeks to adjust the growth of the Developments in the Southeast to the amenities, services and infrastructure demanded for the adequate development of urban life, whereby rationalising the Plan that has been provisionally suspended by the High Court.

“With this motion, we want to ratify the commitment with the criteria reflected in the document that should govern the construction of these developments”, explained the delegate for Sustainable Urban Development, José Manuel Calvo.

Meanwhile, the Compensation Boards that succeeded in getting the TSJM to stop the Plan confirm that if an amendment to the General Urban Plan is approved, then they will study the possibility of appealing and they will request the corresponding compensation.

In a statement, the same sources explain that “they lament” the path that the Town Hall is seeking to initiate. “If the modification is approved in the end, we will study the possibility of appealing the agreement and, at the same time, we will interpose the procedures of state liability to request the corresponding compensation”, they warn.

Nevertheless, they added that it is going to be “very difficult” for the Town Hall to justify the need to modify the plans, which is “a necessary requirement for its approval”.

Original story: Observatorio Inmobiliario

Translation: Carmel Drake

RIU Submits Bid to Acquire Buena Vista Hotel in Tenerife for €71M

26 July 2018 – Preferente

The hotel chain RIU has submitted an offer to purchase a hotel in Tenerife that has been put up for auction following the bankruptcy of its owner and which the hotel chain has been managing for the last 10 years on a rental basis, according to El Confidencial.

The hotel company headquartered in Mallorca has offered €71 million for the Hotel Riu Buena Vista, located on Playa Paraíso in Adeja, which has just been put up for auction as part of the bankruptcy process that its owner has been immersed in for the last five years.

RIU has been renting the hotel for ten years and is now trying to take ownership of it, pending the outcome of the auction, which is expected to happen within a period of fifteen days. The chain claims that, given its status as the tenant, it has the right of first refusal over the property.

The chain led by Carmen and Luis Riu has four hotels in Tenerife and 7,000 rooms in total across the Canary Islands as a whole.

Original story: Preferente (by R.P.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Catalonia Hotels Buys 2 Buildings in Málaga to Convert into 72-Room 4-Star Hotel

25 July 2018 – Press Release

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts has completed the purchase of two buildings in the historical centre of Málaga, whereby expanding its presence in Andalucía. This operation will involve an investment of €24 million, including the acquisition of both properties and the complete renovation of the existing homes. The purchase also involves the operation of 600 m2 of space devoted to retail premises.

The hotel, located at number 5 on the central Calle Puerta del Mar, plans to open its doors in 2020. Its installations will house 72 rooms, a restaurant, bar and fitness area.

This will be the seventh establishment for Catalonia Hotels & Resorts in Andalucía, where it already has two hotels in the town of Ronda, three in the city of Sevilla and one that it recently opened in the centre of Granada.

The company’s expansion department, led by Federico Holzmann, does not rule out continuing to study opportunities in the south of Spain. According to Holzmann, “Andalucía is a very attractive market for us, where tourism is continuing to grow. Towns such as Córdoba, Cádiz and Marbella, where we do not have a presence yet, could be interesting destinations for the expansion of our portfolio”.

At the national level, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts plans to open an establishment soon in San Sebastián and another in Bilbao, in addition to the expansions of its properties in Sevilla (Catalonia Santa Justa) and Menorca (Catalonia Mirador des Port).

In Europe, the chain is going to venture into the Italian market shortly with the upcoming opening of Catalonia Milano Centrale, and in Portugal with a new hotel in Oporto.

The 5 new projects share common traits, given that they will all be 4-star superior urban establishments, located in privileged, central and well-connected areas, and equipped with catering, leisure and wellness areas.

In addition, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts is going to expand its presence in the Caribbean with the construction of a 5-star All Inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya with 434 rooms located on the paradisiacal beach of Costa Mujeres.

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts 

A family run hotel chain founded in 1982 by the Vallet brothers. After starting out focusing on the real estate sector, the company inaugurated its first hotel establishment in 1983 to become one of the main hotel chains in Spain in just a few years. Currently, the company has 69 establishments, located in 22 different destinations: 57 hotels in Spain, two in Brussels, one in Berlin, 8 resorts in the Caribbean (4 in the Dominican Republic and 4 in Mexico) and one urban hotel in the city of Santo Domingo. At the moment, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts is a leading player in Barcelona, where it has more than 3,000 rooms.

Original story: Press Release

Translation: Carmel Drake