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Socimis Invest €420M+ In Asset Purchases In Q1 2015

6 April 2015 – El Economista

The main listed real estate investment companies (‘sociedades cotizadas de inversión inmobiliaria’ or Socimis) have continued to make purchases in 2015. During the (first three) months (of the year), they have spent more than €420 million on the acquisition of office buildings, residential complexes, logistics warehouses and hotels.

Merlin Properties, which debuted on the stock exchange in June last year, with a valuation of €1,250 million, has invested the largest amount during the first three months of the year (€146.3 million).

Since the start of the year, the company has acquired the office building located at number 8 World Trade Center Almeda Park (WTCAP) in Cornella de Llobregat (Barcelona) for €36.5 million and has spent €38.1 million on another office building located on Calle Alcalá 38-40 (Madrid), which is entirely leased to the Ministry of the Interior.

Similarly, it has acquired a logistics warehouse measuring 16,242 m2 in Getafe (Madrid) for €12.75 million, which is leased to Transportes Souto; another measuring 72,717 m2 in Vitoria for €28.58 million, leased to Norbert Dentressangle; and has spent a further €19.8 million on another warehouse located in Coslada (Madrid), measuring 28,490 square metres, which is leased to Azkar.

Following these acquisitions, Merlin’s property portfolio exceeds 717,000 m2 and generates gross annual rental income of €132.2 million.

Meanwhile, the Socimi owned by the Lar Group purchased a plot of land jointly with Pimco measuring 26,203 m2, located on Calle Juan Bravo, 3 (Madrid), where the Juan Bravo Plaza project was being carried out, led by the property developer Eurosazor, owned by Rafael Ortiz, in which Fernando Fernández-Tapias and Paloma Mateo also hold shares.

Lar España will now take over the management of this new real estate project with the objective of constructing a first class residential building in one of the “prime” (real estate) areas of the city, close to the Golden Mile. This transaction takes the Socimi’s total investment to €458.7 million in 15 deals since its IPO.

Meanwhile, Hispania, – the listed investment company controlled by Azora and in which the multimillionaires George Soros and John Paulson hold shares – has acquired a residential complex measuring 39,000 m2 in Sanchinarro (Madrid), comprising 284 homes and 311 garages, for €61.15 million.

It has also purchased an office building located on C/Príncipe de Vergara, 108 (Madrid) measuring 7,324 m2 for €25 million, as well as the three-star Hesperia Ramblas Hotel (Barcelona) for €17.5 million and the four-star Vincci Málaga Hotel for €10.4 million.

Finally, AxiaRE has acquired two office buildings in Madrid, one located in Campo de las Naciones and the other on Calle Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, for €40.5 million in total.

Since its IPO, the company has closed 9 investment transactions valued at €464 million, through which it has acquired 18 properties, which have a combined rentable surface area of more than 402,000 m2.

Original story: El Economista

Translation: Carmel Drake