Tag: IBM

UST Global Leases 3,150 m2 in Madrid’s New Techie Zone

6 April 2018 – Eje Prime

UST Global is plugging into the new techie zone in Madrid. The technology company has leased 3,150 m2 of office space in the Avalón Business Park, a closed office complex located in the Julián Camarillo area. In its new home, the US company will share the district with other technology companies such as IBM, Atos, Tecnocom and The Cube Madrid, amongst others.

The company is going to move a team of 400 employees to Avalón, half of the company’s total workforce in Spain, who are going to be spread over three floors. The technology company’s neighbours will include Konecta and Kone, amongst other companies.

UST Global, which is headquartered in California, has a presence in 25 countries and its clients include large listed companies from the banking, insurance, retail and healthcare sectors.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Torre Rioja Builds Large Office In Julián Camarillo Area (Madrid)

7 February 2017 – Cinco Días

Madrid is going to have a new large building in the Julián Camarillo area of the capital, where many cutting edge companies and technology divisions of large businesses are choosing to concentrate their operations. “The neighbourhood is becoming an area similar to the 22@ district in Barcelona, full of innovative companies” said José Miguel Setién, Director of Offices at the consultancy firm JLL. (…).

The new building, on Calle Julián Camarillo (number 31) is being constructed by the property developer Torre Rioja, which is led by the businessman Ángel Soria. The property, which is currently in the initial phases of construction, will have a surface area of 36,000 m2 spread over six open-plan floors, measuring 8,000 m2 each. The property is expected to house around 3,500 employees. (…).

Now that Torre Rioja has started the initial phases of construction, the search has begun to find a company to move into the property. JLL and possibly one other agent have been engaged to this end. (…). The design may be modified slightly to suit the needs of the future tenant. (…). In any case, the property developer expects construction to be completed within two years. Moreover, the building will have a retail area, with more than 1,000 parking spaces, as well as service areas. (…).

The JLL Director believes that this property in the Julián Camarillo area will primarily be of interest to technology, engineering and communications companies, as well as to back office divisions of large companies and banks.

The Julián Camarillo industrial estate was created between the 1950s and the 1970s as a base for industrial companies. (…). But, it has gradually transformed into an area for offices and even homes. Certain divisions of firms such as IBM, Tecnocom, Atos, the German firm ABB, the engineering firm Eptisa and the University Alfonso X el Sabio have their offices there.

In recent months, Torre Rioja been overseeing renovation work at two of its major office buildings in an area adjoining the A-2 motorway. The insurance company Axa will move into a 23,600 m2 property and the bank BNP will move into an adjoining 20,000 m2 building, now owned by the real estate company, which previously housed the R&D division of Telefónica. Meanwhile, the property developer has seen its sales decrease in recent years, from €27.8 million in 2010, compared with €18.7 million in 2014 (the most recent accounts filed in the registry).

The main drawback for the property developer in this operation in attracting a high profile tenant to the area, given that the building is located relatively far away from the city centre and the industrial estate lacks the services on offer in the centre. Nevertheless, tenants pay considerably lower rents here. Whilst along Paseo de la Castellana, rents in the best buildings can be as high as €25/m2/month, they cost less than €10/m2/month on this industrial estate.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Alfonso Simón Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Colonial Plans To Increase Its Share Capital By €265M

26 May 2016 – Expansión

Colonial will undertake a capital increase amounting to €265 million to allow it to continue adding office buildings to its portfolio. In parallel, the Group is preparing to make investments amounting to €400 million, including the purchase of a 4.4% stake in its French subsidiary SFL (Société Fonciere Lyonnaise) and several buildings in Madrid and Barcelona.

The capital increase should be approved at the General Shareholders’ Meeting on 28 June and will serve to finance some of the asset acquisitions by allowing Colonial to make some payments in shares. Following this operation, the Group’s market capitalisation will exceed €2,300 million.

The expansion of its stake in SFL, where it will end up controlling 57.5% of the share capital, will be performed through the acquisition of a share package from the Reig Capital Group. Part of the payment will be realised in cash (€51 million) and the remainder, through the delivery of 90.8 million new shares in the real estate company. The Holding company owned by the Andorran businesswoman María Reig will thereby control 2.5% of Colonial’s share capital.

The share capital will also serve to pay for the purchase of two office buildings in Madrid, currently owned by the Mexican group Finaccess and valued at €202 million. The buildings in question are IBM’s headquarters in Madrid, located on Calle Santa Hortensia and the building located at number 73 on Calle Serrano. The former has a total surface area covering 47,000 sqm and is one of the seven largest office buildings in the capital, whilst the second, with a surface area of 4,200 sqm, has been highly valued due to its location and the quality of its facilities.

In return for integrating these two properties into its portfolio, Colonial will grant Finaccess 288.6 million new shares in the real estate company, which means that the group will control an 8% stake in Colonial.

In parallel to these operations, the real estate group chaired by Juan José Brugera (pictured above, centre) has completed the purchase of another office building in Madrid. It is located on José Abascal, 45 and has a surface area of 5,300 sqm. In this case, the consideration paid was €35 million.

The group has also purchased land in the 22@ district in Barcelona from the British fund Benson Elliott for more than €40 million. Colonial plans to construct a 17-storey office building with a surface area of 24,000 sqm on this land, which has not started to be marketed yet. The total investment of this project is budgeted to amount to €77 million.

The CEO of Colonial, Pere Viñolas, said yesterday that with this operation, the group will incorporate a surface area of 80,000 sqm and will be “20% larger than it is today”. The company expects that its revenues from rental income will also increase by 20% as a result.

Colonial’s indebtedness will increase by €111 million to €1,300 million. The Group’s consolidated debt, including SFL, amounts to €3,000 million and the company’s indebtedness ratio over asset value will amount to 41%.

Its market capitalisation increased by 1.5% yesterday to €0.677 per share.

Original story: Expansión (by Marisa Anglés)

Translation: Carmel Drake

IBM & Vodafone Headquarters Sales Win the Top Q1 Transactions

6/06/2014 – Expansion

According to advisor Savills, in the first quarter of 2014 office market observed transactions done for the total of €350 million. The amount represents almost one third of the entire volume registered during last year. “If the operations in process added, the total may rise to €700 million”, assures the firm.

Year-to-date, the most important transaction was the sale of Vodafone´s headquarters at 115 America Avenue in Madrid. London & Regional paid €117 million to Sabadell for the 50.600 square meter area building.

Another noteworthy transaction was performed by Morgan Stanley that sold the 46.400 square meter, old headquarters of IBM to the Modelo group for €130 million.

 

Original article: Expansión (by R. R.)

Translation: AURA REE