Tag: eBay

Facebook in Torre Glòries: CCC Will Provide Anti Fake News Services to the US Giant

7 May 2018 – Eje Prime

The US giant Facebook has chosen Barcelona. According to sources in the sector, the California-based company has engaged Competence Call Center, which announced its moved to Torre Glòries two weeks ago, to fight against fake content on its platform. In this space, CCC is going to employ more than 500 people who will work directly for the technology giant in the building owned by Merlin.

CCC is going to occupy 10 floors in the building located in the 22@ district. Facebook has already opened another content control centre in Europe together with CCC in Germany, a model that it is now going to replicate in Barcelona, according to Cinco Dias.

Measuring 142 m tall and with a gross leasable area of 37,614 m2, the building in Barcelona has received investment amounting to €15 million from Merlin. After the departure of the EMA, the Socimi decided to convert the property into a multi-tenant space aimed at the office sector.

The building was designed by the architects Jean Nouvel and Fermín Vázquez and inaugurated in 2005. It has 34 above ground floors and an auditorium with capacity for more than 350 people. In addition, the building has another four floors for parking with 300 spaces. In total, the property spans a surface area of 51,485 m2.

The real estate group acquired the building in January 2017 for €142 million. With this operation, the Socimi avoided the tourist moratorium imposed by the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, which prevented Emin Capital from opening a luxury hotel in the famous tower.

Emin Capital reached an agreement with Agbar at the end of 2013 to acquire the building for €150 million. That commitment materialised at the beginning of 2016 when the group made its first payment of €35 million.

The 22@ district is the main area of growth in the office market in Barcelona, having consolidated its position as a magnet for international innovative companies such as Cisco, Ebay, Yahoo, Deutsche Telekom, Sage, SAP, Capgemini and Indra, amongst others.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Merlin Leases 8 Floors in Torre Glòries to Competence Call Center

26 April 2018 – Eje Prime

Merlin has found a new tenant for one of the most iconic assets in its portfolio after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) decided to vacate the property. The Socimi, led by Ismael Clemente, has signed the lease for 9,000 m2 of space spread over eight floors to Competence Call Center. Merlin has been advised by Savills Aguirre Newman and CBRE.

Standing 142 m tall and comprising a gross leasable area of 37,614 m2, the building in Barcelona has received investment of €15 million from Merlin. After the decision by the EMA, the Socimi decided to convert the property into a multi-tenant space dedicated to the office sector.

The building was designed by the architects Jean Nouvel and Fermín Vázquez and was inaugurated in 2005. It contains 34 storeys and an auditorium with a capacity of more than 350 people. In addition, the property has four floors of parking with 300 spaces. In total, the property spans 51,485 m2.

The real estate group acquired the building in January 2017 for €142 million. Through that operation, the Socimi avoided the tourism moratorium imposed by the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, which had prevented Emin Capital from opening a luxury hotel in the famous tower.

Emin Capital reached an agreement with Agbar at the end of 2013 to acquire the building for €150 million. That commitment materialised at the beginning of 2016 when the group made its first payment of €35 million.

The 22@ district is the main area of growth for the office market in Barcelona, having consolidated its position as a magnet for international innovation companies such as Cisco, Ebay, Yahoo, Deutsche Telekom, Sage, SAP, Capgemini and Indra, amongst others.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Lladó Family Buys Office Building in Madrid from Axiare for €30M

22 December 2017 – Eje Prime

Axiare is ending the year by starting a new divestment phase and the Lladó family is growing its portfolio of assets. José Lladó, President and majority shareholder of Técnicas Reunidas, is exercising his real estate leg with the purchase of a building on Calle Fernando el Santo, owned by the Socimi Axiare, for €30 million. The asset will become the new headquarters of the European investment fund Eurofund Capital Partners.

The Socimi has begun its divestment phase and has decided to get rid of its Fernando el Santo property, a prime building located in the centre of Madrid, for which it will receive proceeds of €30 million.

The property, measuring 3,254 m2 spread over six floors, is located at number 15 Calle Fernando el Santo.  It has 42 underground parking spaces and currently houses the headquarters of the Argentinian embassy and consulate in Spain. It is adjacent to the current residence of the Argentinian ambassador.

The Socimi has obtained a return of 82% from this asset in just three years, after having purchased the property in 2014 for €16.5 million. Moreover, the building’s rent has risen by 43% during the three years that the company has managed it.

The new owner of the building is the Lladó family, which in recent months has opted to acquired assets located in prime areas where the value of those assets may exceed their prices over the coming years. Before acquiring this property from Axiare, the company purchased another building from the Socimi Hispania, which will house the future headquarters of the law firm Uría y Menéndez for €29 million.

In recent years, the owner of Técnicas Reunidas has also purchased a building at number 2 Marqués de la Ensenada, located just a stone’s throw from Plaza Colón in Madrid, for €6 million. In July 2014, the family office also purchased a building from Vía Célere at number 15 Paseo de Recoletos, for almost €20 million. The Lladó family also owns the property at number 33 on the same street.

Axiare starts divesting at the height of its takeover bid

The Socimi Axiare, which on the offensive, after Colonial launched a takeover bid to take control of the Socimi, is beginning a new divestment phase with the sale of this asset.

Axiare’s portfolio appeals to Colonial because it mainly comprises offices (74%), but also contains other types of assets, such as commercial premises, which account for 9% of the total, and logistics assets, which represent 18% of the total. The Socimi is led by Luis Alfonso López de Herrera-Oria.

The main assets of Axiare, whose tenants include companies such as eBay, Cuatrecasas, Konecta, McKinsey&Company and Alantra amongst its clients, are its office buildings on Calle Sagasta in Madrid, measuring 7,054 m2; on Calle Velázquez, measuring 16,816 m2; and on Calle Manuel de Falla, measuring 6,252 m2.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Custodio Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

eBay Moves Its Headquarters To One Of Axiare’s Offices

26 October 2017 – Expansión

The e-commerce and online payments specialist eBay has a new home in Spain. The Spanish subsidiary of the US group is packing the final boxes ahead of the move of its Madrid headquarters to c/Don Ramón de la Cruz 84, in the Salamanca neighbourhood.

Until now, the company’s employees have been split between its offices in Paseo de la Castellana, 95, in the skyscraper known as Torre Europa, where most of the workforce was based, and 67 Don Ramón de la Cruz, just a stone’s throw from the new headquarters.

As a result of this move, eBay will become one of Axiare’s new tenants and will share its new office space with the strategic consultancy firm Boston Consulting Group, the other major company that has chosen to move its workforce to this property, which used to house Telefónica’s headquarters.

Specifically, Boston Consulting Group will occupy 3,624 m2, whilst eBay will lease 5,471 m2 of the property.

The office building, located at number 84 Don Ramón de la Cruz, is a clear example of the modus operandi of the Spanish Socimi. In just two years, the company has completed the purchase of the building, modernised it by renovating the property’s interior and leased it out in its entirety. Specifically, eBay and Boston Consulting Group will together occupy the whole building, including 300 m2 of space on the ground floor, which was originally intended for retail but will end up being used as office space.

Revaluation

The firm led by Luis López Herrera-Oria purchased this building from Telefónica in October 2015 for almost €33 million and, following its renovation, which has involved an investment of €4.35 million, the building has seen its value rise by 70%. The property, constructed in 2001, has a surface area of 9,340 m2, spread over five floors, and 90 parking spaces.

To adapt the offices to the needs of the new tenants, the Socimi has renovated the reception and modified the common areas. Moreover, it has replaced the old air conditioning and lighting systems with state-of-the-art technology (including LEDs).

In addition, Axiare has boosted the brightness of the property by placing a skylight in the internal courtyard and installing floor-to-ceiling windows that provide plenty of natural light (…).

Of the Socimi’s total asset portfolio, almost 42% has now been repositioned, whilst the remaining 58% is in the process of being transformed to create value.

The company’s portfolio, which had a valuation of €1,710 million at the end of September, offices account for 70% of the total; logistics assets for 20%; and retail for the remaining 10%.

So far this year, Axiare has acquired six office buildings and logistics assets in Madrid and Barcelona, in strategic locations, for €215 million in total. Moreover, the real estate company is currently analysing operations worth almost €1,000 million, of which €100 million are now in an advanced stage of analysis.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebecca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake