Tag: Castellana 77

GMP Signs Spain’s First “Green” Loan with BBVA: €68M for Castellana 77

9 December 2018 – Eje Prime

The Spanish real estate sector has obtained its first green loan. Specifically, the Socimi GMP, controlled by the Montoro family, has signed a loan of that type with BBVA to finance the project to renovate Castellana 77, an office building in the Azca area. In total, the real estate company has received €68 million.

Specifically, the Socimi acquired the building from BBVA in 2015. GMP has recently completed work to renovate the property. The company’s commitment to obtain the loan has been established around the fact that the money will be used to promote sustainability, according to Expansión.

GMP, which has the Singapore sovereign fund (GIC) amongst its reference shareholders, has been working for a while to create a portfolio of sustainable buildings. 80% of its assets have the Leed stamp and, last June, one of the jewels in its crown, the former Torre BBVA, obtained the Well Oro certificate, becoming the first property in Spain to merit that distinction.

During the first half of 2018, the Socimi saw its profits soar by 81% to exceed €110 million. The company recorded revenues of €49.5 million between January and June, down by 0.8% compared to the same period in 2017.

Currently, GMP has a portfolio of sixteen assets, which sum a total of twenty-seven buildings and a gross leasable area (GLA) of 360,000 m2. All of them are located in Madrid, along with the 65,105 m2 of buildable space that the group owns, concentrated in the urban developments of Valdebebas and Las Tablas. The company’s portfolio of projects also includes a residential tourist development in Alicante, which is called Las Colinas Golf&Country Club.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Madrid Attracts Many Of The Companies Relocating Their HQs From Cataluña

10 October 2017 – Expansión

Over the last 10 days, several companies with their headquarters in Cataluña, such as Oryzon, Dogi, Eurona, Proclinic and Sabadell have announced that they are moving their HQs outside the region. Oryzon has established its registered address on Carrera de San Jerónimo in Madrid (…) and the telecommunications operator Eurona has also moved to the Spanish capital (…). Meanwhile, Proclinic has announced that it is moving its headquarters to Zaragoza; Sabadell is moving to Alicante; CaixaBank to Valencia; Gas Natural and Abertis to Madrid, in both cases; and Catalana Occidente is still considering if/where to move.

According to sources consulted, no effective consultations are being carried out at the moment, but Madrid is becoming one of the major alternatives. Prime rents are higher in the capital than in Barcelona, ranging between €25/m2/month and €35/m2/month along Paseo de la Castellana, and peaking at historical maximums of €37/m2/month in Torre Serrano. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the average rent in the city centre amounts to €19/m2/month, reaching maximums of €24/m2/month on Avenida Diagonal. In any case, the performance of prime rents in both cities has been very good so far this year, with growth of 9% in the last quarter with respect to the same period last year, according to CBRE (…).

In terms of absorption, 128,108 m2 of space was leased during the second quarter of the year in Barcelona and 156,334 m2 of space was leased in Madrid. Availability is greater in Madrid, at around 12%, compared to 8% in the Catalan capital.

According to José Miguel Setién, of JLL, whilst it is really hard to find spaces of 3,000 m2 on Avenida Diagonal, there is more high-quality space available in the business district in Madrid, due to the renovations that have been carried out since 2013. As such, the market for medium-sized operations has performed exceptionally well there, even during the summer.

Overall, it is estimated that 1.5 million m2 of surface area is available in Madrid; of which 220,000 m2 is free in the centre of the capital, according to Ángel Estebaranz, National Director of Offices at Aguirre Newman. There is space available in several well-known offices such as Torre Foster, Torre Europa, Castellana 81, Castellana 77, Castellana 200 and Plaza de la Independencia, mostly grade A renovation products. Even Torre Picasso has almost two floors available, which would allow the right tenant to locate its corporate headquarters in one of the most iconic buildings in the city (…).

When it comes to choosing a new location, the nature of the company’s business plays a critical role. In this way, financial and legal companies tend to locate their offices in the business centre of cities, whilst pharmaceutical companies, for example, position themselves between the M30 and M40 ring roads, since they do not require such iconic buildings, but do need a lot of space, available in areas such as Campo de las Naciones, Alcobendas, Moraleja, Sanchinarro… Tech firms, like Google and Amazon, tend to establish themselves within the city centre but not in prime areas, such as Atocha, for example. Meanwhile, publicity firms are moving to Chamberí, with WPP and Havas’ new headquarters to be located in that neighbourhood, and Telcos are concentrating in urban areas of the city with rents of between €22/m2/month and €25/m2/month, says José Mittelbrum, National Director of Offices at CBRE (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Lucía Junco)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rents In Azca’s Towers Exceed Those In The Cuatro Torres

12 September 2017 – El Economista

The Cuatro Torres skyscrapers, to the north of Madrid, are no longer casting a shadow over Azca, which is establishing itself as the iconic business district in the city. With views overlooking the Paseo de la Castellana and just a stone’s throw from the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the Nuevos Ministerios transport hub, this business centre has managed to renew itself, to avoid being left behind compared with other areas of Madrid. So much so, that the rents for its recently renovated skyscrapers are 16.6% higher per square metre than the most expensive space in the Cuatro Torres, to the north of the city.

Castellana 81, the historical headquarters of BBVA, leads the ranking in terms of rental prices in Madrid, given that its empty space is being marketed for between €27 and €35 per square metre per month. This tower, designed by the prestigious architect Sáenz de Oiza, has been subjected to a comprehensive renovation by its owner, the Socimi GMP, which spent €30 million renovating one of its most iconic properties in Azca and on Madrid’s skyline.

The asset, which became a multi-tenant property when it first came onto the market, has already managed to conquer new companies following the departure of the banking entity, which moved to its own financial city, in Las Tablas, to the north of Madrid. Thus, in the last few months, rental contracts have been signed with Teka and Hays.

At the forefront of design

Castellana 77, which is also owned by the Montoro family’s real estate company and the Singapore sovereign fund, GIC, has been the subject of another of the major renovation projects that has been carried out in Azca and which has positioned the business district at the forefront of design. Its façade is covered with slats that protect it from direct sunlight and which are lit up at night in a diverse range of colours.

The tenant that decides to lease the office space in this building, which spans 16,200 m2 over 18 floors, will be able to choose the colour of the tower, which has more than 200 parking spaces as well as charging points for electric cars. With these features, this property has the second highest rents in Azca, which range between €28 and €33 per square metre per month.

And it is followed closely by Torre Europa, which housed the headquarters of the professional services firm KPMG for many years. Following the move of that consultancy firm to the Cuatro Torres, the tower has been renovated to turn it into the first intelligent and connected office building in Spain. Infinorsa, the majority owner of this skyscraper, which overlooks the Santiago Bernabéu, has invested €20 million on a facelift of the façade, which had not been changed for 30 years, and above all, on the renovation of the interior, which has given a radical about-turn to the essence of this 121m-tall tower (…).

Rents in this tower now range between €27 and €32 per square metre per month. Its renovation has already captivated one of the large international law firms, Freshfields (…). The US firm AOL has also decided to move its Spanish corporate headquarters to Torre Europa, as well as a pharmaceutical company (…).

Torre Picasso, the tallest skyscraper in Azca, at 156m, has not undergone such a comprehensive renovation as its neighbours, but following the departure of the consultancy firm EY to Torre Titania, 15,000 m2 of space there was left vacant. Some of that space in the tower owned by Pontegadea – the investment arm of Amancio Ortega – will be leased to Deloitte, which will thereby become its largest tenant. After several improvements to the property, the highest floors are now being marketed for €31/m2/month (…).

Rents in the Cuatro Torres barely reach €30/m2/month

Nevertheless, in the new financial district located in the north of Madrid and known as Las Cuatro Torres, only one of the towers manages to charge a rent of €30/m2/month, even though the buildings are much younger, given that they were inaugurated between the years 2008 and 2009.

Office space in Torre Espacio ranges between €29 and €30 per square metre per month. The Philippine group Emperador, which owns this skyscraper (…) renewed the image of the tower at the end of last year and launched a new marketing plan with the aim of finding tenants for the 8,800 m2 that were vacant in the building at that time.

Next in the ranking is Torre Cepsa, for which Amancio Ortega (…) paid €490 million last year. It is occupied almost in its entirety by the oil and gas company whose name it bears; the cost of the 15,000 m2 of space that is available ranges between €23 and €28 per square metre per month.

Meanwhile, Torre de Cristal, the tallest skyscraper in Spain, at 210m, is the most affordable of its neighbours, since its available space is being marketed for between €25 and €27 per square metre per month. Last year, KPMG left the Azca area and moved to this property, where it leases around 23,000 m2 (…).

Next door is Torre PwC, leased to the consultancy firm whose name it bears and the five-star hotel Eurostars. Its owner is the Socimi Merlin Properties (…) and PwC reportedly pays €19/m2/month.

The Cuatro Torres complex is now getting ready to receive a fifth tower, Torre Caleido. That property, which is currently being constructed (…), will be leased to IE Business School and Grupo Quirón-Salud (…), who will reportedly pay between €15 and €18 per square metre per month (…).

Original story: El Economista (by Alba Brualla)

Translation: Carmel Drake

French Construction Giant Bouygues Returns To Spain

10 July 2017 – Cinco Días

Bouygues is returning to Spain with its real estate business after years during which the company has stayed away from this activity due to the property crisis. The French construction giant has already disembarked with a team for its property developer subsidiary focused on both Spain and Portugal. And it has already been commissioned to build an office building in Madrid, where it is due to start work at the beginning of 2018.

The French company has decided to look for opportunities in Spain in light of the recovery in the property sector and the improvement in the economy. “We have waited for the macroeconomic indicators to improve and we are looking again at the development of tertiary assets, such as offices and hotels”, revealed Ana Vidal, Director General at Bouygues Inmobiliaria.

The director previously led the company’s real estate project in Spain – where it has been present since 1989 – during the previous boom at the beginning of the century, but after the crisis, Bouygues hauled in the sails and Vidal moved to Paris. She returned to Madrid at the end of 2016 to identify opportunities. “We are going to work in three main businesses: the promotion of offices, residences for students and elderly people, and hotels”, said the Director General.

The whole time, the company has held onto three plots of land that it owns, two in Madrid and one in the 22@ district in Barcelona.

The first project, which is now in its design phase, is being developed in the Julián Camarillo area of Madrid, an industrial district that is home to offices and residential properties in the east of the capital, outside of the M-30. On this plot, Bouygues Inmobiliaria plans to build an 18,000 m2 office building.

Luis Vidal + Architects has been engaged to design the property. The Spanish firm is known for the design of Terminal 2 at Heathrow airport, amongst others major works. It also just led a renovation project for the Socimi GMP of Saint-Gobain’s former headquarters, now known as Castellana 77. Moreover, the firm has collaborated with the architect Renzo Piano in the recently inaugurated Centro Botín in Santander.

The company plans to invest €50 million on the construction of the building from 2018 onwards, over a period of approximately two years.

The other plot of land in Madrid – which it owns jointly with Vía Célere (owned by Värde Partners) is also located in Julián Camarillo. “We think that it is a good office area as an alternative to the centre, where buildings of the highest quality are being constructed. It is a neighbourhood with a lot of potential, like the 22@ district in Barcelona, although it lacks planning”, says Vidal. Finally, it is precisely in that new district of the Catalan capital where Bouygues plans to construct a tertiary use building in the future.

Bouygues Inmobiliaria is planning an annual investment of between €30 million and €50 million in Spain over the next few years, specialising in turn-key buildings. For the time being, the first project being managed by the team of professionals that has recently started work in Madrid does not have a tenant, but Vidal is convinced that it is not a problem, because the firm already has sufficient own funds to start work.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Alfonso Simón Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rental Prices Will Rise On La Castellana After The Summer

6 July 2016 – Expansión

Madrid’s financial district is refreshing its image and prices are set to rise in the area after the summer. The Spanish capital’s La Castellana thoroughfare is aiming to attract tenants who are willing to prioritise the quality of space over rental costs.

Whilst investors remain attentive to the course of events unfolding in the City (London), following Brexit’s victory in the EU referendum held on 23 June, and the formation of a new Government in Spain after the election on 26 June, business is continuing as usual and the capital’s financial district is getting ready to open its doors to some new tenants. Some of the countries in the Eurozone may, over time, attract some of the activity that has been performed in the United Kingdom until now, and if this becomes a reality, Madrid’s financial district could represent a good option for companies currently headquartered in London.

Torre Europa is preparing itself to this end. Grupo Infinorsa has launched a process to renovate the property following KPMG’s departure and will allocate €20 million to the modernisation of its facilities. In the same way, GMP is in the middle of renovating the Castellana 77 skyscraper, known as Torre Ederra – the former headquarters of Saint Gobain – as well as Castellana 81 – Torre BBVA – to adapt them both to the new demands of the market. Another building that is looking for new tenants is Torre Picasso following EY’s move to Torre Titania. (…).

Sources at Cushman & Wakefield explain that demand is not growing in Madrid at the moment. “GDP levels are similar to during the years before the crisis, and so around 200,000 sqm of space is being leased out per year. The main explanation is uncertainty”. Moreover, it seems like the slowdown is more acute in the financial district, due to the quality of available stock and the cost. (…).

José Miguel Setién, Director of the Office Business at JLL, explains that renting in Madrid has been cheap until now and the price ratio is still very attractive when compared with other major European cities; this means that there is still a lot of potential in the Spanish capital. “Provided there are no political or structural macroeconomic problems, the figure trend is that the market will continue to rise”, he added.

The CEO of Aguirre Newman, Jaime Pascual-Sanchiz de la Serna, explained that offices in prime areas, as well as in the market in general, have been very static in terms of renovations and new projects. Pascual-Sanchiz says that several projects launched within the last 12 months will come onto the market within the next year. In his opinion, they will be a good indicator for measuring the evolution of offices. “The owners of those properties, including Pontegadea, Mutua Madrileña and the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros do not have financial problems, and are not desperate to lease their properties at any price”. For the expert, although we are seeing small and medium-sized operations in the area, the large moves, which are more dependent on the domestic and international political situation, will have to be unblocked after the summer.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

GreenOak Recruits Zarrabeitia From CBRE

16 July 2015 – Expansión

International funds still regard Spain as one of their favourite destinations for investment. As such, one of the most active firms, the US fund GreenOak, has just strengthened its team in Spain to boost its commitment to the market.

The fund, which specialises in the real estate sector, has recruited Javier Zarrabeitia, former director of CBRE España. Zarrabeitia, the son of the CEO of Testa Inmuebles, is a specialist in capital markets. Before joining CBRE, he advised large real estate transactions, such as the sale of BBVA’s building on Castellana, 77 to GMP for €90 million. In fact, GreenOak was one of the finalists in that auction.

In addition to Zarrabeitia, GreenOak is planning to hire three or four other people over the coming months at its offices in Madrid. The firm currently has a team of ten professionals dedicated to the Spanish market, although most of them are based in London.

Francesco Ostuni leads the Spanish team – he is the European Director of Acquisitions at GreenOak, and was formerly a director at Morgan Stanley and before that at the Qatar sovereign fund. In turn, Ostuni reports into the founding director of the fund, John Carrafiell, who led Morgan Stanley’s real estate strategy for several years, and closed operations such as the purchase of Canary Wharf. (…)

GreenOak, which has assets under management amounting to $5,000 million (€4,533 million) around the world, has already made several real estate investments in Spain during the last year.

Background

The US fund took its first big step in Spain last year, when it purchased seven shopping centres from the Dutch group Vastned Retail for €160 million. Subsequently, it tried to enter the office market – it participated in the process to purchase not only Castellana 77, but also Castellana, 89 – Ahorro Corporación’s headquarters – which was ultimately purchased by Corporación Financiera Alba, owned by the March family.

In recent months, GreenOak has been adding to its portfolio of Spanish investments, with the purchase of five logistics assets in the Community of Madrid, encompassing 200,000 m2. The US fund paid between €60 million and €75 million to close that acquisition.

The firm plans to close new operations in the short term, mainly in the logistics segment – where it has agreed to buy three more assets – , as well as the market for shopping centres and offices, after its two previous failed attempts.

Original story: Expansión (by J. Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

GreenOak Buys 5 Logistics Assets In Madrid For €75M

24 June 2015 – Expansión

GreenOak hereby completes its second major deal in Spain. Over the last few months, the US fund has closed the purchased of five logistics assets in the Community of Madrid, which cover a surface area of 200,000 m2 (100,000 m2 of facilities and 100,000 m2 of land).

Based on the prices of these assets in the market, GreenOak must have paid between €60 million and €75 million for the five assets, according to various real estate sources.

The US fund is planning to continue its growth in this segment and has already agreed to purchase another three logistics assets, also in the Community of Madrid, which will add a further 100,000 m2 to GreenOak’s portfolio in Spain.

The fund plans to continue acquiring assets – in Barcelona, Zaragoza and Valencia as well – to reach (a surface area of) half a million square metres over the next 12 months.

All of the assets purchased by GreenOak are located in Getafe and in the Corredor del Henares and are currently leased out to companies such as Seur, Montfrisa and TransXtar. The vendors have been banks, other funds and family-owned companies.

“Logistics is an asset class where scale and experience make a difference. We are focusing on Spain, where we have the strongest interest”, says John Carrafiell, founding partner at GreenOak.

“Given our resources to undertake investments in the sector, our team on the ground and our real estate due diligence skills, GreenOak can close deals quickly, with investments of between €5 million and €100 million”, says Carrafiell.

The chief executive at GreenOak is leading the fund’s strategy in Spain first hand. Carrafiell is regarded as one of the gurus of global real estate investment. He used to lead Morgan Stanley’s business in this segment and in 2004 he closed one of the largest deals ever in the UK, the purchase of Canary Wharf.

Fund history

After leaving Morgan Stanley, Carrafiell created GreenOak in 2010. Since then, the fund has raised assets under management amounting to €4,751 million and has opened offices in USA, London, Seoul, Munich, Tokyo and Madrid.

GreenOak signed its first major purchase in Spain last year, with the acquisition of seven shopping centres from the Dutch group Vastned Retail for €160 million.

Moreover, in recent months, GreenOak has tried to enter the office market. It was in the running for the purchase of Castellana, 77, which was eventually sold to GMP; and Castellana, 89, which was acquired by Corporación Financiera Alba, owned by the March family. The fund expects to close the purchase of offices and shopping centres within the next few weeks.

 Original story: Expansión (by Jorge Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Mexican Investor Buys Gran Vía 14 For €21m

3 February 2015 – Expansión

A private Mexican investor has acquired the building located at number 14, Gran Vía, Madrid for €21 million. The property currently houses the Madrid Institute of Family and Children.

The property consultant CBRE advised on the transaction for the sale of the property, which is currently leased to the Community of Madrid and has a surface area of 4,600 square metres.

According to Miguel Fuster, CBRE’s Investment Director, this acquisition reflects the strategy being adopted by investors of acquiring assets in strategic locations that have clear potential for rental growth and the possible repositioning of the assets.

In fact, the pressure on prices is generating a clear, positive expectation in terms of rental growth and a recovery in the rental sector, he added.

This transaction consolidates last year’s trend in terms of investment, which reached record levels, and was the third deal that CBRE advised on in January; it also advised on the sales of BMW’s headquarters and Castellana, 77, also known as the Torre Saint Gobain.

Ortega acquired Gran Vía, 32

Recently, Amancio Ortega, bought the landmark building on Gran Via, 32, through his investment vehicle, Pontegadea. The property, which will house Primark’s future flagship store in Spain is currently leased to retail brands such as H&M, Mango and Lefties (Inditex Group), as well as companies such as the Prisa Group.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake