Tag: hines

Wanda To Resume Renovation Of ‘Edificio España’

21 April 2016 – Expansión

The Town Hall of Madrid and Wanda wrote another chapter in their tug-of-war story that began back in July 2014, when the Chinese Group purchased Edificio España from Banco Santander for €265 million, with the aim of converting it into a luxury hotel, shopping centre and homes.

The main sticking point in the negotiations between Manuela Carmena’s town hall team and Dalian Wanda has centred around the Town Hall’s requirement to maintain the façade of the landmark building, an idea that Wanda opposes. The group has threatened to look for alternative solutions and even to abandon the project.

But now, it seems that Wanda has accepted Carmena’s conditions to go ahead with its plans. In the face of the uncertainties generated by the Chinese company’s position, the Town Hall of Madrid sent a letter to Michael Qiao, the CEO of the Asian Group, on 6 April, asking him to confirm the decision regarding their plans for the building within 15 days. The councillor for Sustainable Urban Development, José Manuel Calvo, announced yesterday that the Asian firm has responded to the letter indicating that it still intends to construct a hotel and that, following this confirmation, it expects the project to resume “shortly”. Nevertheless, Calvo was wary of discussing timeframes.

In parallel, the Chinese group still has a mandate with the consultancy firm JLL to sell the property and its efforts to find a potential buyer are on-going, according to sources close to the process.

Other interested parties

As part of this process, the US fund Hines and the Philippine Group Emperador have both expressed their interest in the property. JLL declined to make any comment about the matter. (…).

The councillor for Sustainable Urban Development confirmed that “there is no way” that the property “will be demolished”, although “it is perfectly reasonable for any one element that is in poor condition to be replaced”.

Calvo referred to the leaked letter and highlighted that it contained the urban planning rules and corresponding exceptions, but insisted that “no-one has had to resort to selling out or changing any laws”.

At the beginning of March, the multinational company confirmed to the mayoress that it intends to stay in Madrid and implement its plans for Edificio España, after weeks of speculation regarding the possible abandonment of the project, which were fuelled by the Chinese group’s decision to close its headquarters in Madrid.

At the beginning of the year, Wanda Madrid Development decided to close the office that it had opened in the Spanish capital to undertake the remodelling of the landmark building, which has been empty for years.

The Town Hall has always maintained that Wanda purchased the building knowing that the building was a partial level 3 listed property, due to its historical-artistic value, which prevents it from being knocked down.

The Local Historical Heritage Commission, in which the Community of Madrid and the Town Hall participate, agreed to relax the requirements to promote the sale of the building, which is very run down due to inactivity, provided the façade is respected.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hines & Emperador Bid For Edificio España

2 March 2016 – El Confidencial

Two of the largest real estate investors in the world want to buy Edificio España. The US giant Hines and the Philippine group Emperador, which has just acquired Torre Espacio, have already taken up their positions in the sales process launched by the Wanda Group for the skyscraper, according to several sources close to the operation.

The Chinese group has engaged the consultancy firm JLL to find a new owner for the property, which it has decided to sell after failing to reach an agreement with the Town Hall of Madrid regarding the handling of the renovation.

Not even the meeting held yesterday between Manuela Carmena and Laurent Fischler, Wanda’s Global Head of Real Estate, managed to put a stop to JLL’s sales mandate, although the consultancy firm declined to make any comment. This meeting was held at the request of the mayoress, anxious about the earthquake unleashed by the Asian group’s decision to leave Madrid. But the only thing she managed to agree with Wang Jianlin’s envoy was the firm’s willingness to remain in the capital, provided the town hall gives something in return.

Nevertheless, there are only a handful of investors with the capacity to undertake the purchase, which could range between €250 million and €300 million (Wanda paid €265 million two years ago), a quantity to which another €100 million should be added for the subsequent construction work to renovate the property.

And that figure is mounting, because the final cost of the renovation will depend heavily on the agreement that the Town Hall of Madrid approves, and the survival of Norman Foster’s project, who has threatened to take Wanda to court if it breaks the agreement signed to develop the architecture project.

The reality is that Wanda inherited this contract from Banco Santander and in theory, the buyer would also be subrogated to it, according to real estate sources. But that honour has discouraged some of the large international funds from bidding for Edificio España, as they prefer to avoid large firms because they make the construction work more expensive.

Giants in the market

By contrast, the profile of Hines and Emperador fit well, given that their investments typically focus on iconic buildings, located on the main thoroughfares of large capital cities and, in many cases, linked to unique architectural projects. Ingredients which, if the negotiations with the town hall are unblocked, are present in abundance in the case of Edificio España.

The US firm Hines is an expert in this kind of development and is currently involved in a growth plan in Spain, which has led to the signing of two operations – for the Desigual store next to Portal del Ángel in Barcelona and number 44, on Madrid’s Gran Vía – in less than two months, for a combined total of €78 million.

And its future plans are even more ambitious, as shown by the fact that it is actively seeking out large transactions in both Madrid and Barcelona. With $87,000 million (€80,000 million) in assets under management, Hines is the fourth largest real estate investment management company in the world.

Meanwhile, Grupo Emperador is one of many companies that comprise the business empire of the Philippine-born Andrew Tan, one of the richest people in the world according to Forbes. (…).

Despite all of these possessions, Tan was virtually unknown in our country until last November when he acquired Torre Espacio with a bid for €558 million, an amount that he largely financed in cash and with a syndicated loan for €280 million from ING Wholesale Banking.

This operation is just the tip of the iceberg of the group’s plans. Emperador has also set itself the objective of multiplying its investments in Spain, both in the real estate sector, as well as in those markets linked to the world of spirits, where it has worked in conjunction with González-Byass for many years.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Ruth Ugalde)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hines Buys Five Guys’s New Outlet On Gran Vía 44 For €40M

22 January 2016 – Expansión

The US real estate company Hines has acquired the retail premises at number 44, Gran Vía in Madrid for €40 million. The property has just been leased to the US hamburger chain Five Guys, which has signed a long-term contract to open its first restaurant in Spain there.

The premises have a surface area of around 900 m2, spread over three floors, and Five Guys expects to open its first Spanish outlet in the summer (2016). The US chain has more than 1,300 fast food outlets all over the world.

Hines has purchased the asset from the Spanish real estate company Grupo Baraka and has executed the transaction through its fund Hines Pan European Core Fund, which recently made its debut in Spain with the acquisition of another retail premises for around €38 million. That property is located in the centre of Barcelona and is leased to Desigual.

Original story: Expansión (by Marisa Anglés)

Translation: Carmel Drake

UBS Pays Hines €70M For Zielo Shopping Centre

5 June 2015 – Expansión

The transaction confirms the return of institutional investors to the Spanish market.

International funds are continuing with their commitments in Spain. Whilst the key players in the market were opportunistic funds in 2013 and Socimis in 2014, in recent months, institutional funds, both European and Asian, have burst into the market.

The latest player to make an investment in Spain has been UBS. The Swiss fund management has finalised the purchase of the Zielo Shopping centre, in Pozuelo (Madrid), after several weeks of exclusive negotiations. UBS will pay €70 million for the property to Hines European Value Added Fund, a fund managed by the property developer Hines.

The company invested €100 million in the development of the shopping centre, designed at the height of the property boom, including a loan for €50 million. The property was opened in October 2009 and has a surface area of 50,000 m2, of which 15,555 m2 comprise the retail area.

In the transaction, UBS has been advised by the consultancy firm Knight Frank, whilst CBRE, which also manages the centre, has worked with the vendor. “This transaction shows that prime assets are generating significant interest amongst investors with a more core profile”, explains Gonzalo Senra, Head of Commercial Investments at CBRE.

In 2014, more than €2,000 million was invested in commercial property in Spain, a figure that may be exceeded this year, according to Knight Frank, given that €600 million has already been invested.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

UBS Finalises Its Purchase Of The Zielo Shopping Centre

20 March 2015 – Expansión

The Swiss bank’s real estate fund is offering €73 million for the Madrilenian shopping centre, exceeding the expectations of its current owner, Hines, which has invested more than €100 million in its construction.

Another shopping centre is expected to change hands soon. After the French company Klépierre closed its purchase of the Plenilunio shopping centre in Madrid this week, another Madrilenian property will soon have a new owner.

The property in question is the Zielo shopping centre, located in the town of Pozuelo de Alarcón, in Madrid. The building was designed by the real estate company Hines, which took out a loan of €50 million to construct the property. Conceived at the height of the boom (it was opened in October 2009), Hines invested more than €100 million in its development.

The centre, designed by the architect Alberto Martín Caballero, has a surface area of 50,000 square metres, of which 15,537 m2 is dedicated to retail over three floors. It also has more than a thousand parking spaces, the majority of which are indoors.

Five years later, Hines put the “for sale” sign up on its Madrilenian shopping centre in January. The initial asking price was set at €65 million. The Houston-based real estate company decided to sell the property through a restricted (tender) process rather than open it up to all of the interested investors in the Spanish market. Thus, its advisors reached out to the large Spanish Socimis (Merlin Properties, Axia Real Estate and Lar España), as well as the more institutional investment funds such as Deka Inmobilien and the (fund) manager Tiaa Henderson. In the end, the real estate fund owned by the Swiss bank UBS made the best offer and is now negotiating the finer details of the transaction in an exclusive process with Hines.

According to sources close to the process, UBS is offering €73 million. A price that means that the yield on the transaction amounts to less than 5%, a very low figure compared with the figure of 10% that was achieved on the first deals involving the sale and purchase of shopping centres following the burst of the bubble, in 2013.

Zielo Shopping is not the only commercial property that is currently on the market in Spain. According to Deloitte Real Estate, around 80 shopping centres will come onto the market over the next 12 months. Some transactions, such as the purchase of Puerto Venecia in Zaragoza and Plenilunio in Madrid have already been closed. In total, €3,500 million could change hands in this market alone.

Possible buyers include the British real estate company Intu Properties, which is finalising a call option on a real estate project in Málaga, as part of its €2,500 million investment program, and the fund manager CBRE Global Investors, which plans to invest €600 million in shopping centres and retail outlets in the Spanish market.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hines Puts Zielo Shopping Centre Up For Sale

19 January 2015 – Expansión

The real estate company Hines has decided to sell one of its landmark shopping centres in Spain, namely the Zielo Shopping centre, located in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo.

Zielo Shopping opened in October 2009. It occupies a total surface area of 50,000 square metres, of which 15,537 m2 are used for commercial purposes; and it has more than one thousand car parking spaces. In February 2011, Hines requested a €50 million loan from Eurohypo to finance the construction of the centre. Before its inauguration, the real estate company said that its investment in the facilities would exceed €100 million.

Now, Hines has put the property on the market for a price of around €65 million. To this end, the Houston-based real estate company has decided to organise a restricted sales process, in which it has invited three of the largest Socimis to participate, namely: Merlin, Axia Real Estate and Lar España, as well as the funds Tiaa Henderson and Deka Inmobilien. If no agreement can be reached with these five candidates, Hines will open up the process to new investors, according to real estate sources.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake