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CBRE: Real Estate Inv’t Will Exceed €13,000M In 2017

5 October 2017 – Expansión

Real estate investment in Spain is continuing to enjoy happy times, with on-going growth and record-breaking figures.

Between January and September, €10,300 million was spent on real estate assets, up by 58% compared to the same period last year, say sources at the real estate consultancy firm CBRE. Between July and September, the volume of investment moderated with respect to the “extraordinary figures” recorded during the first half of the year, to amount to more than €2,700 million. “This data is very positive and confirms investors’ appetite for the Spanish real estate sector”, said Adolfo Ramírez-Escudero, President of CBRE España.

By type of property, retail assets and hotels are the investment focus, accounting for 26% and 23% of the total, respectively, although all of the assets are experiencing growing interest. “Domestic and international investors are continuing to see Spain as a market with great potential and are showing interest in the full range of asset types”, say sources at CBRE.

In total, the retail sector accounted for €2,700 million of the total investment during the first 9 months of 2017, comprising both shopping centres and high street premises. Meanwhile, operations such as the purchase of Edificio España by the hotel chain RIU for €272 million increased investment in hotel assets during the first nine months of the year, by more than 122% with respect to the same period in 2016, to reach €2,390 million. Another type of asset that saw an exponential increase in its investment was the logistics business, which grew by 153%, to amount to more than €1,500 million. In the case of offices, investment rose by more than 38% to reach €1,542 million, whilst investment in residential assets fell by 32% to €617 million.

Buyer profile

By nationality, overseas investors accounted for 67% of the total volume spent, compared with domestic buyers (22%) and Socimis (10%) – which, although they are Spanish companies, are mostly financed by international capital -. “Last year, Socimis accounted for 43% of real estate investments. Nevertheless, this year, their role has been moderated and they have only participated in 10% of the transacted volume”, explain sources at CBRE.

The replacement of Socimis – which are focusing on managing their portfolios and selling their first non-strategic assets this year – is being led by foreign funds, with new profiles and nationalities closing operations in Spain. Such is the case of the Australian firm Macquarie, which has purchased Empark.

In fact, overseas investment in 2017 has been led by buyers from the Middle East and Asia Pacific, which account for 31% of the total volume of international investment. They are followed by US funds, which account for 18%, and buyers from France, with 17% of the total share, say sources at CBRE. “Overseas investment has increased by 73% with respect to the same period last year, to reach €6,747 million, backed by an increase in investment from most countries, with the exception of the USA and Germany, whose investment volumes have decreased by 36% and 48%, respectively.

Thanks to the good behaviour of the market during the first 9 months of the year, experts predict that 2017 will close with investment of more than €13,000 million, in line with the volumes registered in 2016 and 2015, which were characterised by several large corporate operations.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake