Merlin to Invest €500M to Double its Logistics Portfolio

15 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Merlin Properties is also joining the logistics boom. The real estate company is preparing a new development plan for warehouses and storerooms to double its existing logistics portfolio in Spain and Portugal over the next four years. The objective of the company is to incorporate an additional 1 million m2 into its portfolio in this sector with an investment of €500 million, according to reports from Cinco Días.

The real estate company, which forms part of the Ibex 35, already owns logistics platforms spanning 1.1 million m2, spaces that are leased to various operators in the sector. Currently, Merlin is developing the so-called plan Best II, scheduled for 2021, with the construction of 500,000 m2 of logistics space in Madrid, Guadalajara and Toledo, and it is already working on Best III, which sources at the company explain will add another 500,000 m2 by 2023, in that case also on land in Portugal.

With the construction of these warehouses, Merlin’s objective is to diversify its portfolio and improve its yield, given that these types of assets offer a higher return. Currently, the Socimi owns assets worth €11.8 billion, of which €780 million correspond to logistics properties, accounting for just 6.7% of the portfolio.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake