Tag: impairment loss

Zriser Made a Profit of €14M from Sale of 2 Properties in 2016

5 January 2018 – Valencia Plaza

Inversiones Grupo Zriser, the company that groups together the rental assets of Ana and Pablo Serratosa (pictured below), closed 2016 with the sale of two properties that generated a profit of €14.3 million. That is according to the Directors’ Report in the company’s consolidated accounts, which shows that 2016 was a good year for the investment vehicle owned by the Serratosa siblings.

One of Zriser’s most important sales – at the beginning of 2016 – was the Generali building, located at number 29 Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Valencia, to the businessman Juan Luis Gómez-Trenor, who was the founder of the now extinct Colebega and shareholder of Coca-Cola Iberian Partner.

Zriser purchased the building from Generali Seguros for €29 million and sold it for more than €30 million, almost 50% more. The building, next door to the Town Hall, is located in the financial and retail centre of the city and houses the regional headquarters of Generali Seguros in the Community of Valencia and a branch of the company; the main tenant of the property is the law firm Garrigues.

The other property sold by Zriser in 2016 – in the month of November – is located on Paseo de Ruzafa 18 and is known for housing one of the first Berskha (an Inditex brand) stores in the centre of Valencia. That property has a surface area of more than 2,200 m2 spread over a basement level, commercial space and commercial mezzanine, plus four additional floors, measuring 400 m2 each in a strategic location and where Décimas opened. The two operations were advised by Olivares Consultores.

Turnover rose by 48% in 2016

Inversiones Grupo Zriser, where the siblings also consolidate their other investee companies, generated a turnover of €48 million in 2016, up by 48% compared to 2015, when the figure amounted to €32.4 million. An even greater improvement was seen in terms of profits, which rose from €598,770.15 in 2015 to €7.88 million in 2016.

The accounts also reflect some losses due to impairment as a result of the results obtained by certain companies and a failure to fulfil some of the business plans initially set out. That happened in the case of the machinery company Inrema for a value of €408,957; Punt Mobles XXI, for €974,561.34; and Auditorías de Medios SL, for €1.6 million.

In subsequent events, the accounts also highlight the sale in 2017 of the company Moldcom Composites (McBath), specialising in resin bath products, to Nazca Capital. In this regard, the financial statements indicate that the transaction generated “significant” profits for Zriser.

Original story: Valencia Plaza (by Estefanía Pastor)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Mandarin Oriental Enters The Bidding War To Buy The Ritz

12 February 2015 – Cinco Días

A new chapter has begun in the bidding war to buy the Ritz in Madrid, one of the most emblematic hotels in the capital. The property has been on the market for almost two years, but may have a new owner in a matter of days. Mandarin Oriental, one of the largest Asian luxury hotel chains, has set its sights on the hotel, which is currently controlled by Orient-Express and Omega Capital, the investment company owned by Alicia Koplowitz.

The owners of the Ritz have been looking for a buyer for the property for almost two years, which, despite its prime location and the power of its brand, has lost much of its appeal in recent years, due to a lack of investment. This has meant that all of the operators that have shown an interest in acquiring the property have identified the need to undertake a major refurbishment, which has played against a quick sale.

Despite that, Orient-Express, now known as Belmond, and Omega have remained steadfast in their price expectations, which led Marriott to placing an offer for €130 million on the table; the transaction fell through at the last minute, when it seemed like every blessing had been given. The problem was that, by adding the purchase cost to the amount required to reform the property, the buyer considered that the final result was infeasible.

Fairmont took over the reins in the bidding process during the second half of last year, by offering €120 million for the property, whose refurbishment it valued at around €60 million. The luxury hotel chain analysed all kinds of options to try to close the transaction successfully, ranging from reselling the rights of the Ritz brand to Marriott – which would have allowed its rival to use the brand throughout the Iberian Peninsular – to addressing the possibility of operating the asset under its second brand, Raffles.

But, according to several market sources close to the negotiations, Fairmont has now also withdrawn from the bidding, leaving the way open for Mandarin. The Asian player may end up closing this complex transaction, mediated by JLL, through an agreement whereby it takes on a management role, but which, in any case, will allow the Asian chain to establish itself in Madrid, a market that it has been analysing with much interest for over a year.

After acquiring numbers 38 and 40 on the exclusive Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, overlooking Casa Batlló, the Hong Kong firm opened its first property in Spain at the end of 2009. With this investment now well established, the Asian hotel chain has plans to grow in the country, both in Barcelona and, above all, in Madrid.

Luxury hotels arrive in Madrid

The emergence of Four Seasons in the capital, which has reached an agreement with OHL Desarrollos to open the luxury Canalejas complex, has been a catalyst for the Madrilenian hotel market. The large international chains have set their sights on the city and deals are expected to be signed for properties such as the Hotel Villa Magna, the Hotel Miguel Ángel and the old headquarters of Asturiana de Minas; without forgetting the Edificio España, which was acquired by the Chinese Group Dalian Wanda.

These deals will follow others agreed in the last few months, such as the opening of Barceló’s four star hotel in the Torre de Madrid, the conversion of the Hotel Asturias into a boutique hotel and the transformation of the historical Tio Pepe building into a 5 star hotel.

Omega Capital and Belmond acquired the Ritz twelve years ago for €125 million. The strong impact of the economic crisis on the hotel sector in the capital, with declining tourist numbers and low prices, in addition to the cost of the pending renovation of the emblematic hotel, has taken its toll on the brand, for which an impairment loss of €12 million was recorded in 2013, the last full period for which official results are available.

Original story: Cinco Días (by R. Ugalde)

Translation: Carmel Drake