Neinor Reports Profits of €90M, Exceeding its Own Forecast by 30%

9 January 2020 – El Confidencial

Nine months after issuing a profit warning, announcing a new roadmap and appointing a new CEO (Borja García-Egotxeaga (pictured below)), Neinor has reported profits of €90 million, up by 30% compared to the revised forecasts of €70 million.

The property developer handed over 1,269 finished homes last year, within its forecast range of between 1,200 and 1,700, and has another 200 ready to hand over this year. It plans to hand over half of those this month (January) and the rest during the course of the year, depending on its margins.

2020 is going to be a critical year given the looming change in the economic cycle, with stabilisation expected in terms of sales and prices. In 2018, prices rose by 8%; in 2019, they increased by 6-7%; and in 2020, the firm’s objective is to sell 1,700 homes and achieve a price increase of 3.5-4%. Thanks to these rises, the group’s margin amounted to 30% at the end of 2019.

By contrast, Neinor has not managed to fulfil its land purchase plan to date, although it expects to achieve its ambitious forecasts for 2020 when it aims to invest €110 million in total.

The property developer’s two largest shareholders, Orion (28%) and Adar are both keen to support the growth of the company and benefit from the consequent recovery of its share price.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Ruth Ugalde)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Signs of a Slowdown Arise in Barcelona

1 July 2019 – Richard D. K. Turner

After years of sequential, significant increases, the residential housing market rose by a mere 1.6% in Barcelona, over a period of twelve 12 months. The same figure for the first two quarters of the year reached -1.7% q-o-q, according to Tinsa, as prices began to fall at the end of last year.  

Residential housing prices fell by 2.6% y-o-y in the Ciutat Vella, the historic centre of Barcelona. Moreover, while not a single district in Barcelona saw growth in excess of 10%, the highest growth came in peripheral areas of the city. A similar tendency was evident in Madrid, where peripheral areas also saw significant growth.

The city of Salamanca, on the other hand, saw growth of 11% last year, bringing the average price of finished housing (new and used) to 5,161 euros per square meter, the only district of the five major Spanish capitals with prices above 5,000 euros. In Valencia, almost half of the districts recorded increases of more than 10%.

Original Story: El Confidencial – E. Sanz

 

Temprano Capital Partners Acquires a New Site for a Student Residence in Madrid

17 June 2019 – Press Release

The new project, which forms part of the Temprano Student Living (TSL) initiative, will provide 10,000 m2 of premium accommodation for more than 400 students. This project represents Temprano Capital Partners first scheme in Madrid and its eleventh Student Residence development in the Iberian Peninsula.

Temprano Capital Partners has just acquired a new site in Getafe, Madrid. It is the firm’s first student residence project to be developed in Spain’s capital and the eleventh in Temprano Student Living (TSL) Iberian’s  pipeline.

The first TSL project to complete was TSL Marques de Pombal in Lisbon, which opened its doors to students in January 2018 and won the award for “Best in Class for Property Innovation and Sustainability at the Class” given by The Class of 2020 annual awards for its good work in innovation and sustainability.

By adding this new student residence in Madrid, TSL will increase the number of beds in its portfolio to more than 4,000. The city of Madrid has the largest number of students in Spain followed by Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao, respectively. More than 300,000 students are enrolled in the region in the 2018-2019 academic year, of which 196,400 attend public universities with the remainder at various private educational institutions around Madrid.

The large student population in Madrid includes a large contingency from other regions of Spain (approximately 80,000 according to internal research) and approximately 24,000 international students principally Europeans and from the Americas.

The recently acquired site is located at Calle Ramón Rubial 37, Getafe, which is an 8-minute walk from the main campus of the Carlos III University and a 10-minute walk from the railway station Las Margaritas Universidad.

It is envisaged that the student residence will provide some 400 beds in a combination of cluster, studio and twin room configurations, within a building spanning just over 10,000 m2. The residence will provide other services and amenities, such as a gymnasium, lounge club area, audio visual / cinema rooms, library, study rooms and areas created for group work, dinner party rooms and onsite catering and restaurant facilities. The residence will offer rentals to be fully inclusive with 24/7 concierge service. Rooms will provide kitchens, individual bathrooms, Smart TVs, in addition to desks for in room study needs. High speed Wi-Fi will be provided throughout the project.

Original story: Press Release

Edited by: Carmel Drake

La Generalitat Approves a Law to Limit Rental Prices in Cataluña

21 May 2019 – Eje Prime

The executive led by Quim Torra has approved a royal decree to limit residential rental prices in Cataluña so that they will not exceed 10% of the reference index in neighbourhoods and cities with an “accredited lack of affordable housing”.

That percentage increases to 20% in the case of new or completely refurbished homes for the five years following the building work. Meanwhile, for flats with exceptional views, swimming pools or gardens, the percentage may rise to 25%.

The decree considers areas with a “tense housing market” to be those municipalities where the provision of affordable rental housing is at risk. In particular, it makes reference to towns where rental prices have grown sustainably by more than average and where the increase in the demographic density is not being matched by the growth in the housing stock, amongst other factors.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

VBare’s Profits Rose by 52% in Q1 2019 to €1.1M

15 May 2019 – Eje Prime

VBare Iberian Properties, the Socimi specialising in the management of residential assets, obtained a profit of €1.1 million during the first quarter of 2019, which represents an increase of 52% YoY. Gross revenues from asset rentals rose by 50% YoY during the same period to €461,000.

According to a statement issued by the company, VBare’s asset portfolio comprised more than 300 assets and was worth €57.4 million at the end of March 2019, up by 15% with respect to the end of 2018. The Socimi recorded profits of €4.8 million in 2018, doubling the result from the previous year.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

VGP Invests €22M in 2 Logistics Platforms in Cheste (Valencia)

15 May 2019 – Levante EMV

The Czech group VGP has announced that it is going to invest €22 million in the construction of two latest-generation logistics platforms on plots spanning 75,000 m2 in Cheste. The logistics platforms will span 15,000 m2 and 26,000 m2, respectively, and the projects are expected to create around 400 new jobs.

The logistics industrial estate in Cheste is enjoying a boom in recent times driven, in particular, by the Lidl logistics platform. It sits within the first logistics ring of Valencia and has direct access to the Manises airport, as well as to the Port of Valencia.

VGP will add these assets in Cheste to the other sites that it is already developing in Spain, including VGP Park San Fernando de Henares, VGP Park Lliçà d’Amunt, VGP Park Fuenlabrada and VGP Park Zaragoza, which together span 360,000 m2.

Original story: Levante EMV (by Ramón Ferrando)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Kronos Puts Land Worth c.€300M Up For Sale

16 May 2019 – Eje Prime

Kronos has engaged Deloitte to sell a batch of land worth between €200 million and €300 million ahead of the change in the economic cycle. In parallel, the property developer is also bidding for several other plots.

Kronos is keen to divest the land that does not fit with its business plan. It may sell the latest batch to a single buyer or split the portfolio into several lots.

Its divestment in Spain contrasts with its commitment to Portugal, where it has just acquired a plot of land in Lisbon for €100 million on which to build 240 homes. In total, the firm plans to spend €300 million buying up land over the next few years.

Since 2015, Kronos has invested €700 million in land with the capacity to build 12,000 homes.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Catella to Invest €200M in Offices and Parking Lots

22 April 2019 – Expansión

The Swedish manager, Catella Asset Management, wants to continue expanding its footprint in Spain, where it has invested €250 million over the last three years.

To this end, the investment firm, which has focused on the housing, student hall and retail sectors until now, is planning to invest €200 million in the purchase of office buildings and parking lots in Spain and Portugal over the next 2 years.

In addition to the major cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon, the company is also analysing operations in secondary cities such as Valencia, Málaga, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Porto.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

BBVA Research: The New Rental Decree & AJD Law Will Dissuade Investment in Housing

15 April 2019 – Expansión

BBVA Research is predicting a slowdown in the increase in residential investment this year and next, with forecast growth of 4.6% in 2019 and 4.3% in 2020, after the sector closed 2018 with growth of 6.9%.

According to the Spain Watch report compiled by the research house, the main driver behind the expected slowdown is the regulatory changes that “are affecting the sector and increasing legal uncertainty for landlords, which are reducing the incentives to entry for large investors and making purchases in regions with exposure to the tourist sector less attractive”.

The legal uncertainty first emerged at the end of 2018 when changes were made to the rental law and to who is responsible for paying Stamp Duty (AJD). Previously it was the purchaser; now it is the lender bank. That has resulted in a deceleration in residential sales, which may only be temporary, but at this stage is too early to say.

Meanwhile, BBVA Research has revised down its forecasts for the construction sector for this year and next, with increases of 4.8% and 4.7%, respectively, in light of the above.

Original story: Expansión

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Ores has Invested €362.5M in 35 Assets Across the Iberian Peninsula

16 April 2019 – Eje Prime

Ores, the Socimi owned by Bankinter and Sonae Sierra, has invested €362.5 million in 35 assets across the Iberian Peninsula since its creation, according to a report filed by the company with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) at the end of Q1 2019.

During the first quarter of this year, the company purchased a retail store in Burgos with a gross leasable area of 724 m2 for €5.2 million.

The company’s portfolio comprises hypermarkets (28.1%), mini-hypermarkets (17.8%) and retail parks (15%), amongst others. Its assets are located mainly in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as in prime areas of provincial capitals.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake