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Savills: Spain Leads RE Inv’t in Southern Europe

12 December 2017 – Expansión

Real estate investment in Spain is on the verge of setting a new record and positioning the country as the leader of the sector’s boom amongst its counterparts in Southern Europe. Specifically, investment in the tertiary market (offices, retail, hotels and logistics assets) in Spain looks set to amount to €8.9 billion in 2017, which represents an increase of 5% compared to the previous year and the highest figure in a decade, according to a report from the consultancy firm Savills.

The report reveals the strong performance detected in the retail and hotel sectors and also highlights that the growth in e-commerce in Spain is expected to result in greater demand for logistics and storage space, a segment that has lagged behind the main markets in Europe until now.

Luis Espadas, Director of Capital Markets at Savills España, also points out that, to the extent that demand in the more traditional sectors grows, so investors are starting to focus on alternative products, such as student halls and nursing homes. “That market may be small still but it has the potential to develop more attractive returns and price differentials”.

Other countries

The recovery of the sector in Spain has been followed by an upturn in other countries such as Italy, Portugal and, more recently, Greece and Cyprus. In this way, after a few years of weak investor activity, the volume of investment in Southern Europe increased by 277% in 2017, compared to the minimum of €5.2 billion recorded in 2012.

Overall, total investment volumes increased by 8% YoY. The markets in Southern Europe now account for 10% of the total investment in the European Union, compared to the 5% that they represented in 2012. “Economic growth, the decrease in unemployment rates and renewed consumer confidence are attracting investors back to Southern Europe”, says Alice Marwick from the Europe Research department at Savills.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake