Tag: international investors

Project Tour: Bankia Puts €166M Property Portfolio Up For Sale

3 February 2017 – Idealista

The banking sector is starting 2017 with a bang as it accelerates the sale of properties. Bankia has put a new real estate portfolio on the market – it does not contain debt, but rather comprises 1,800 properties, including finished homes, plots of land, retail premises, industrial assets and hotels. Known as Project Tour, the package is valued at €166 million.

Bankia is one of the most active banks at divesting real estate assets once again, as it seeks to focus on its pure banking business. It is a technique that has worked well for the banks in recent years and not just in Spain, but in other countries around the world as well.

In this case, so-called Project Tour is in the hands of the firm Alantra (formerly N+1) which intends to place this property portfolio (known by its initials in English as an REO) with international investors. Its value amounts to €165.9 million, according to financial sources consulted by Idealista.

The portfolio comprises 1,292 finished homes (it does not include any subsidised housing), 324 plots of land, 159 retail premises, 20 industrial assets and 9 hotels. None of the assets in the portfolio are rented or co-owned.

The properties are primarily located in the Community of Valencia, mainly in Valencia; Cataluña, mainly in Barcelona; the Canary Islands, mainly in Las Palmas; Madrid and Castilla y León (Segovia is home to most of these assets).

According to sources consulted by Idealista, Bankia expects to receive non-binding offers from a small number of investors by the beginning of February and binding offers by the middle or end of March. In this way, it plans to close the sale of the package during the month of March.

The entity chaired by José Ignacio Goirigolzarri (pictured above) is known as one of the most dynamic in the market: in 2016, it put several portfolios up for sale, including Project Ocean, a real estate loan portfolio worth almost €400 million, which was sold to Deutsche Bank; Project Tizona, a mortgage debt portfolio worth €1,000 million; and Project Lane, containing properties worth €288 million.

Original story: Idealista (by P. Martínez-Almedia)

Translation: Carmel Drake

JLL: Hotel Inv’t Reaches Almost €5,000M In 2 Years

11 January 2017 – El Independiente

The tourist boom (which saw record numbers of tourist arrivals and a recovery in demand from Spanish clients) was followed by a boom in the hotel sector (with record occupancy rates and tariffs); and both have been supported by a boom in investment in hotel properties. With tourist activity at record highs and no signs of a slow down in sight, the purchase of hotel buildings has become a cushy deal for investors.

In two years, real estate investment in hotels in Spain has amounted to almost €5,000 million. Following a historical record in 2015, when operations were closed amounting to €2,650 million, last year, transactions were signed amounting to €2,155 million, the second best year ever, according to the latest report compiled by the consultancy firm JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

Several major operations have sustained the pace of investment. Just before the end of 2016, Merlin Properties sold off its hotel portfolio, transferring it to the fund Froncière des Règions for €535 million. The sale of the hotel Villa Magna de Madrid by Sodim SGPS to Dogus Group for €180 million represented a new national record in the price paid per room (€1.2 million per room, compared to €800,000 per room in the case of the Ritz in 2015, which had held the record since then).

Other large transactions included the sale by AXA Investment Managers of the Pullman Barcelona Skipper Hotel to Shaftesbury for €93 million; and the purchase of the historical headquarters of Caja Madrid by KKH Capital Group and Perella Weinberg RE for €80 million, which it will convert into a luxury hotel.

In total, investors purchased 130 hotel assets in Spain last year, in addition to the 143 hotels that they bought during the record year of 2015. Madrid led the ranking as the main location for investment, accounting for 28% of the total volume with €597 million. It was followed by Barcelona with €344 million (16%), despite the hotel moratorium declared by Ada Colau’s Town Hall, and Las Palmas (7.4%), Fuerteventura (7.4%), Málaga (7.4%), Valencia (7%) and Mallorca (6.1%).

Investments funds take over from the Socimis

During 2015, the major stars of the hotel investment segment by far were the Socimis (…), which accounted for almost €1,000 million of transactions during that year. But they have been replaced by investment funds, which have become the major players in the hotel investment market, accounting for 51.5% of total volumes.

The investment funds that have accounted for most of the transaction volume have been: Foncière des Régions, with 19 hotels and a total investment volume of €535 million; HI Partners, which has purchased eight assets for €200 million; KKH Capital Partners, which together with Perella Weinberg RE, bought the Celenque building for €80 million; and Internos Global Investors, which purchased Hotel Innside Madrid Suecia for €45 million.

According to JLL’s forecasts for 2017, the hotel investment market will continue to be active and investment volumes will remain similar to those seen in 2016, thanks to interest from international investors. The consultancy firm thinks that the requirement for owners to continuing to reduce the debt on their balance sheets, the strengthening of the strategy by national hotel chains to sell off properties and continue to operationally manage establishments, and the strong outlook for the tourist sector in general place the Spanish hotel market in the investor spotlight.

Original story: El Independiente (by David Page)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Aguirre Newman: RE Inv’t In Barcelona Amounts To €2,500M In 2016

19 December 2016 – La Vanguardia

The real estate market in Barcelona is on course to break records again this year. It is expected to end 2016 with total investment operations amounting to €2,500 million, compared with €1,978 million last year, according to data presented by the real estate consultant Aguirre Newman on Thursday.

2016 will also be a “historical” year for Spain as a whole, with investment figures once again exceeding the level recorded in 2007, the year before the outbreak of the crisis. Investment operations worth almost €14,000 million are forecast to be closed.

Cataluña accounts for 20% of Spain’s total investment in this sector, although that figure is set to increase to 25% in 2017, given the significant potential of Barcelona.

The Director General of Aguirre Newman in Barcelona, Anna Gener, explained that; demand in Barcelona is still very active; there is still a lack of available land for sale; international demand is very active; and the real estate market is regarded as an attractive sector for investment.

Of the total investment volume expected this year, €860 million correspond to offices, down by 2.8% compared to last year, given that 2015 was a year of “blossoming”, when several major corporate operations were recorded after years of crisis.

The residential market will reach €120 million this year, shopping centre investment will amount to €865 million, retail investment will reach €100 million and investment in the industrial sector will amount to €144.1 million, up by 61%, due to the scarcity of land.

Around 80% of the investment volume has been made by international buyers; and domestic investors “are back again” after years away, according to Hipólito Sánchez, Director of Investments.

57% of the investments were made by funds, 26% by Socimis, 10% by private equity firms, 3% by institutional investors and 2% by insurance companies.

The leasing of office space continues to be a very active market; the availability rate has been decreasing since 2012 and now stands at 9.9%.

Construction activity is continuing to recover, with a 40% increase in the number of new construction permits compared to 2016.

The average price of free (unsubsidised) housing increased by 9% in Barcelona this year and by 4.5% across Cataluña. There was also a great deal of interest in renovation projects and in changes of building use status towards high standing residential properties in the centre of Barcelona, where more than 60% of buyers are foreign. (…).

The retail sector has continued to receive interest from investment funds and private equity firms in the main areas of the centre of Barcelona.

La Diagonal has established itself as an area of expansion following its renovation, with a 30% increase in rental income in just two years and the opening of megastores by certain brands, such as Massimo Dutti, Zara, Uniqlo and H&M.

The most important operation in the shopping centre sector was the sale of Diagonal Mar to Deutsche Bank for €495 million.

Another sector that continued to attract investors was logistics, whose investment volume increased by 60% with respect to last year, due to the shortage of land. (…).

The hotel sector has also continued to perform very well, given that prices per room have increased, thanks in part to the fact that there are no new competitors.

The forecasts for 2017 indicate that the real estate sector will continue to attract international investors, demand will continue to be very active, and products will continue to be scarce, although prices are not predicted to rise by very much.

Original story: La Vanguardia

Translation: Carmel Drake

Spain’s RE Sector Enjoys A Flurry Of Operations

24 November 2016 – Expansión

The real estate sector continues to celebrate. Investors are still very much interested in Spain and real estate operations continue to be signed. The office sector is still one of the major stars of the recovery, along with shopping centres, thanks to the boost from domestic and international investors and fund managers alike.

The increase in liquidity, together with the lack of profitable alternatives – such as the bond market – and the volatility of the global stock markets, have generated a great deal of interest in the sector and the experts predict that, with the resolution of the political deadlock now behind us, several pending operations will likely close within the next few months.

Although the experts forecast a decrease in investment in the sector, after a record year in 2015, large-scale operations, such as Amancio Ortega’s purchase of Torre Cepsa, are a sign of the good health that the sector is enjoying.

The Socimis continue to be one of the most important players, as evidenced by: the agreement reached between Merlin and the shareholder banks of Metrovacesa, for the merger of the two companies; the entry of the real estate company Colonial into the share capital of Axiare; and the decision taken by the US fund Pimco to strengthen its position in Lar España, taking it to almost 20%, according to the latest records from the CNMV.

Besides the activity in the tertiary asset market, the residential market is also enjoying a revival. In this sense, yesterday, the property developer Dospuntos, owned by the fund Värde, announced the launch of its first real estate development in Spain, with 62 homes in A Coruña. This move forms part of the company’s plan to invest €2,000 million in the country over the next six years.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Realia Puts “Los Cubos” Building Up For Sale For €57M

2 November 2016 – Expansión

Realia, the real estate company controlled by Carlos Slim, has decided to cash in one of its most iconic assets. The company has put the office building known as Los Cubos, in Madrid, up for sale.

The property, which owes its name to its unique architecture, has a leasable surface area of 18,324 m2 and 334 parking spaces. The building has been empty since the end of 2015.

Its location, alongside the M-30 and next to the headquarters of companies such as Iberia and Alstom – which occupy an adjacent office complex owned by Colonial – and its unique design make it attractive in the market, even though it does not have any tenants, say sources in the market.

Realia has decided to put the property on the market for €57 million – in other words, for around €3,000/m2 -, although it is also considering a possible project to renovate it, according to sources in the sector. Realia bought the building, which was constructed in 1981, in July 2004 from the insurance company Allianz for €60 million.

Possible interested parties include large Socimis such as Axiare, Hispania and Lar España, which have experience buying and renovating empty properties of this kind, as well as international funds looking for investment opportunities in Spain, who are struggling to find available properties in the centre of Madrid and Barcelona, say real estate sources.

This is Realia’s first divestment in the Spanish market in recent years. In 2014, the real estate company sold its stake in the French Socimi Siic de Paris. Realia received €559 million from the sale of its 59% stake, which it used to reduce its debt by around €1,000 million.

As at 30 September 2016, the group’s financial debt amounted to €900 million, down by 20% compared with the same time last year.

During the first nine months of the year, Realia generated revenues of €71.7 million and profits of €89 million. Excluding extraordinary items, its recurring profit amounted to €17.6 million.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Irea: Hotel Inv’t Amounted To €1,363M In YTD Sept 2016

17 October 2016 – Europa Press

Hotel investment in Spain has continued its strong momentum during the first nine months of 2016 to reach €1,363 million, according to a report about hotel investment in the real estate sector prepared by Irea. The report also shows that the figure could rise to €1,800 million by the end of the year. Despite the fact that the investment figure is 16% lower than the level recorded during the same period last year, it is the second best year ever.

Investor interest in hotel assets is still very high and if some of the main operations that are currently on the market are actually closed as a result of the year-end effect then the figure could end up exceeding €1,800 million by the end of 2016. The profile of investors has changed considerably with respect to 2015, when the Socimis (primarily Hispania and Merlin) were the stars and investment involving asset portfolios accounted for half of the total investment volume.

In 2016, operations involving individual assets are clearly dominating the market and are spreading in a general way across the whole country, versus the trend in recent years when there was a higher concentration of investment in traditional destinations.

The increase in the number of hotels sold to date in 2016 has been noteworthy (97 hotels compared to 83 last year), however, the average size per number of rooms has decreased significantly to 142 rooms from 214.

Madrid leads investment with €310 million.

In geographical distribution terms, Madrid leads the investment table for the second year in a row, with €310 million, followed by Barcelona with €302 million (the two regional capital cities account for 45% of total investment). The Balearic and Canary Islands are ranked in third and fourth places with €206 million and €198 million, respectively.

Whilst the figures in the Balearic Islands have remained stable compared to 2015, they have decreased in the Canary Islands after the high volume of investment seen in 2015, when it was the main investment destination in Spain.

Finally, there has been a notable increase in contributions to total investment from secondary destinations. In 2016, hotel investment has been distributed amongst 68 municipalities so far, compared with 44 in 2015 and 25 in 2014, which shows that the hotel investment market is establishing itself in Spain.

Investment is now reaching regional capitals such as Gijón, Oviedo, Orense, Lugo, Granada and Alicante, for example, i.e. places where barely any activity had been recorded in recent years.

The Socimis decrease their level of investment

The profile of investors has also changed markedly since 2015, when the Socimis were the undisputed stars, accounting for almost 50% of total investment volume in the hotel market in Spain.

This year, the Socimis have faded into the background, accounting for approximately €85 million of investment (only 6.2% of total hotel investment), whilst other types of investors have grown.

International investors have invested €585 million to date, almost twice as much as they spent in 2015, led by the Dogus Group, which purchased the Hotel Villa Magna in Madrid and Westmont Hospitality, which acquired a majority stake in Torre Agbar in Barcelona.

In terms of national chains, they invested €276 million in total on the purchase of 32 hotels. Highlights included Hotusa, which was the most active group, purchasing five properties during the first nine months of the year.

Meanwhile, domestic investors spent €304 million on hotels in total. The star of that category was HI Partners, which has acquired seven hotels so far this year, primarily in the vacation segment.

Original story: Europa Press

Translation: Carmel Drake

Madrid & Barcelona Renew Their Main Thoroughfares

5 September 2016 – Expansión

Total investment of €900 million / Investment in retail assets at street level doubled to reach record levels in 2015. Pontegadea’s purchase of the building located on Gran Vía, 32 for €400 million accounted for 40% of total investment. Spain is still in the Top 10 target markets for large fashion operators.

The busiest, most touristic and sought-after streets in Madrid and Barcelona, such as Gran Vía and Las Ramblas, have always been an object of desire for the major players in the restaurant and leisure sector; and, for several years now, they have also been attracting the attention of the major fashion chains, which are choosing to showcase their flagship stores on these avenues.

The high footfall rates on these central streets make them the perfect target for housing the flagship stores of major fashion and accessories brands and, in exchange, these historical avenues have renewed their offer and rejuvenated their image.

In parallel, and in line with the rise of the flagship stores, the retail sector has experienced a general increase in the sale and purchase of large premises. Specifically, more than twenty new international brands arrived in Spain in 2015, of which 60% chose Madrid to open their first store and 32% opted for Barcelona, according to a report prepared by CBRE. As such, in 2016, Spain continues to rank in the top ten target markets for major international companies.

The next major brand expected to arrive in Spain is the Japanese fashion chain Uniqlo. It will begin by opening a flagship store in Barcelona, however, the Asian group is also looking for premises in Madrid. Other firms that have expressed an interest in entering the Spanish market include the Italian brands Terranova and OVS.

Overall, investment in the high street (retail assets at street level) broke records last year, with €900 million invested, twice as much as in the previous year, largely fuelled by Pontegadea’s purchase of the building that Primark now occupies on Gran Vía, 32, for €400 million. That operation alone accounted for 40% of total investment.

In Barcelona, the lack of available supply meant that investment in the high street was not as intense and sales mainly involved mix-used buildings, with a retail component, such as Diagonal 490 and the historical Torre Muñoz, in Fontanella.

The strong demand and shortage of availability in terms of prime supply have caused yields to decrease, to around 3.5% for the best products, in both Madrid and Barcelona. Nevertheless, according to CBRE, that figure is above those reported in other European cities such as London and Paris.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

BNP: Inv’t In Logistics Assets Reached €662M In 2015

8 June 2016 – Mis Naves

According to the real estate consultancy firm, BNP Paribas, “2015 was an exceptional year” for the logistics sector in Spain, with total investment amounting to €662 million, whereby exceeding the figure recorded in the previous year to register the highest investment volume in the last eleven years.

The data available for 2016, corresponding to the first quarter, confirms this rising trend, with total investment exceeding €320 million between January and March 2016 – this figure essentially relates to three large portfolios: Metrovacesa, Zaphir and Prologis.

For the analysts at BNP Paribas Real Estate, the good performance of consumption and industrial output, which began three years ago, has continued to boost the logistics market in 2015 and so far in 2016. Moreover, the shortage of high quality products has led to a slight increase in income and above all, to a stabilisation of prices. Thanks to the availability of land, new developments may go on the market at these rental prices. For this reason, the consultancy considers that 2016 offers good opportunities for buying and selling logistics assets.

It is worth highlighting two key milestones that are shaping the evolution of the logistics real estate sector and boosting the strong outlook for this sector.

On the one hand, 2014 and 2015 were the years when the highest ever investments were made in logistics warehouses. More than 50% of the high quality logistics warehouses changed hands during that period. The market saw a generational change in owners, with the disappearance of some and the appearance of others. The latter group includes international investors, which have been positioning themselves in the market, including several specialists, such as Prologis, which have strengthened their positioning; and the Socimis, which have secured capital overseas and invested it in this segment to create significant portfolios of logistics warehouses. During the first quarter of 2016, the main Socimis and funds interested in logistics assets invested around €320 million.

On the other hand, consumer habits have changed with the crisis, which has led to a very significant increase in the volume of purchases made online, to the detriment of in-store shopping. In this vein, e-commerce is growing at an average rate of 20% p.a.. To the extent that the volume of purchases made online increases, so too does demand for logistics spaces designed to provide support for these types of businesses. In 2015, around 17,000 sqm of logistics space was leased for e-commerce use. Even so, in Spain, online shopping accounts for just 3% of overall consumption, which reflects the potential for growth in the country, above all if we compare it with other markets such as Germany and the UK, where e-commerce accounts for 10% and 13.5% of all shopping, respectively. (…).

During 2016, consumption is expected to continue to grow with the same energy, along with the leasing of logistics space. Income will continue to increase and yields will continue to decrease due to the shortage of high quality logistics products. The e-commerce business will grow and so too will demand for cross-docking and XXL warehouses. The main Socimis and funds will continue to expand their portfolios with logistics assets. (…).

Original story: Mis Naves

Translation: Carmel Drake

Supreme Court Places Thousands Of Homes In Legal Limbo

1 July 2016 – Expansión

The town plans for Gijón, Vigo and Marbella are the latest to join the long list of projects that the High Court has declared null and void, placing thousands of homes into legal uncertainty.

The real estate bubble is still causing problems years after it burst. In the last five years, the Supreme Court has ratified the annulment of several general town plans (PGOU) all over Spain, decisions that have continued in the last year with the High Court bringing down the plans in three other places, specifically, in Vigo, Marbella and Gijón.

These rulings make thousands of homes illegal, given that they were constructed in accordance with PGOU guidelines that are now considered null and void. What will happen to them now? Although the risk of demolition exists, it is minimal and the next step for the municipal companies is to draft and approve new PGOUs that include a process to normalise these buildings, which currently find themselves in a kind of legal limbo.

However, that is not the only negative consequence of this escalation in litigation, as reflected in the round table organised by two partners at Ontier, Jaime Díaz de Bustamante and Jorge Álvarez, together with Susana Rodríguez, Managing Director at the consultancy firm Aguirre Newman, and Antonio Pleguezuelo, Director of Town Planning at the same firm.

“The cascade of PGOU annulments is generating a considerable lack of legal certainty”, said Díaz de Bustamante, who insisted that this situation “deters international investors, who cannot afford to allocate their capital to an urban development plan that is subject to unstable regulation”.

But, what are the reasons behind all of these rulings from the Supreme Court, which are nullifying PGOUs all over the country? According to the experts consulted, one of the main reasons is the lack of communication and coordination between the different administrations involved in the preparation of the urban plans.

In this sense, Jorge Álvarez and Antonio Pleguezuelo requested greater coordination between autonomous communities and the central Government when it comes to defining the rules that are going to be applied, as that would result in greater certainty, in their view.

Delays in the process

Nevertheless, more concern and unease in the sector is leading to delays in the approval of urban plans, which, in some cases, is even resulting in changes in government.

For this reason, the experts at Ontier and Aguirre Newman insist on the importance of reducing the regulations relating to PGOUs. “The bureaucracy surrounding these plans need to be reduced so that they can be approved more quickly and adapted to the social reality”, explained Díaz de Bustamante.

Not surprisingly, most of the PGOUs that have been declared void by the Supreme Court in recent years had defects relating to the processing of the different reports required or to the sectoral processes, almost all of which are provided for by state law.

Original story: Expansión (by Laura Saiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

BBVA Puts Logistics Warehouse Portfolio Up For Sale

13 April 2016 – Expansión

BBVA has put 441 properties on the market, primarily warehouses and logistics plots, which have a combined surface area of more than 500,000 m2.

BBVA has launched one of the largest operations involving the sale of industrial assets in the Spanish market. The entity has appointed BNP Paribas Real Estate to coordinate the divestment process of a portfolio covering a surface area of more than 500,000 m2 and containing primarily warehouses and logistics plots. The entity wants to tap into the investor appetite that exists in the market for this kind of asset, in the context of rising rents and the forecast recovery in demand.

According to sources, BBVA wants to close the sale of this portfolio, known as Detroit, by July. BNP Paribas Real Estate will be responsible for coordinating the whole process and for selling the assets. For the sale, all possible options will be accepted, ranging from the sale of the entire portfolio to a single investor, to the sale of different sub-portfolios to several interested parties. In addition, the sale of individual assets will also be considered. As such, potential interested parties include large international real estate funds, listed Socimis and several Spanish family offices.

Cataluña and Andalucía

The Detroit portfolio comprises 441 properties that currently sit on BBVA’s balance sheet, having been repossessed from borrowers in the past. 65% of the assets are located in Cataluña, the region in which the entity chaired by Francisco González took over six of the former savings banks. Another 20% of the assets are located in several provinces in Andalucía.

Other assets are also located in Galicia, Extremadura, Murcia, Baleares, Castilla y León, Valencia, Cantabria, Canarias and Castilla-La Mancha.

Of the 441 properties now up for sale, 327 are industrial warehouses, 28 are industrial or logistics plots and 86 are parking spaces. 376,000 m2 of the total surface area (550,000 m2) correspond to industrial warehouses.

Investor interest

“This is a great investment opportunity, given that industrial warehouses are becoming a sought-after asset in the market once again, due to the expected recovery in demand and the gradual absorption of the existing stock”, say sources at BNP. According to the real estate consultancy, rents for this type of asset are currently on the rise and yields are higher than those earned on other real estate assets, such as offices, shops and homes.

In 2015, tenants leased almost 1,000,000 m2 of logistics warehouses, up by 37% compared with a year earlier. The increase was particularly marked in Cataluña, where a historical record was broken for warehouse rentals, with 564,000 m2 of surface area leased, an increase of almost 80%, according to figures from JLL. The largest operations were closed in the fashion and automobile sectors, although the e-commerce sector also played an important role leasing facilities for the distribution of products purchased online.

In parallel, investment in the industrial and logistics sector amounted to €734 million in 2015, up by 25%. The main players were Socimis and overseas funds. The widespread interest caused yields to be compressed from 8% to 6.5%.

Original story: Expansión (by Sergi Saborit)

Translation: Carmel Drake