Tag: KKR

Deutsche Bank, APG & CBRE GI Enter Spain’s Residential Rental Market

7 December 2018 – Expansión

The large international investors have placed their focus on the residential market and, specifically, on the rental segment. The success of this sector, together with labour mobility, the difficult access to housing and changes in living habits mean that, increasingly, renting is an option over buying in Spain, and that has fuelled interest from capital in the sector.

Blackstone, the largest real estate investor in Spain, was one of the first funds to back the residential rental sector with the purchase of 18 developments comprising 1,860 units from the Municipal Housing and Land Company of Madrid (EMVS) in 2013, but it has not been the only one. The Dutch pension fund APG, in conjunction with Renta Corporación; the German bank Deutsche Bank; and the international fund manager CBRE GI have been some of the most committed investors in this market in recent months.

In this way, APG reached an agreement in the spring of 2017 with the Catalan real estate company Renta Corporación to launch Vivenio, a Socimi specialising in housing, with the aim of acquiring assets worth €1 billion in Madrid, Barcelona and the provincial capitals. The Socimi is going to close a particularly active year for acquisitions, with a total investment of €400 million and is planning to repeat that amount in 2019 to reach a total portfolio of €1 billion in just over two years. One of the largest purchases it has made this year was the batch of 1,100 homes that belonged to the manager Aquila Capital, headquartered in Hamburg, for €240 million.

With the aim of diversifying its portfolio and entering this growing segment, the international fund manager CBRE GI joined forces with Azora, the Spanish manager founded by Concha Osácar and Fernando Gumuzio, with experience in this sector, and the New York investment firm Madison to invest €750 million over the next two or three years. That three-way alliance started with a portfolio of 65 buildings and a total of 6,458 homes and has the aim of reaching, at least, 10,000 units.

Another large investor that is betting heavily on the Spanish residential sector is DWS, the asset management subsidiary of the German bank Deutsche Bank, which has prepared a budget of €500 million to acquire between 1,000 and 2,000 homes in Spain. In that case, it is backing new build developments and it will do so through three formulae: delegated development, the acquisition of construction projects from other property developers and direct development. The objective is to maintain the assets in its portfolio and rent them out. In that case, the vehicle will not be a Socimi because German regulation of the funds from which the capital proceeds do not allow that. 60% of the investment will be made with own funds and the rest, bank financing. The plan is to invest primarily in Madrid and Barcelona, but they will also study plots in cities such as Bilbao and Sevilla, provided the rental market is very liquid.

Meanwhile, Catella Asset Management Iberia (CAMI), the Spanish subsidiary of the Swedish fund manager is intending to reach 2,000 units by 2020. The manager, which will add 1,000 homes to its portfolio at the beginning of 2019, entered the residential rental market two and a half years ago and has invested around €160 million in the business to date. It plans to double that figure to reach 2,000 homes within two years.

Another real estate company that has teamed up with foreign funds to grow in this segment has been Elix. The firm, which is dedicated to the purchase of buildings, their renovation and the sale of homes by unit, has signed an alliance with KKR and Altamar to invest in buildings, renovate them and dedicate them to the rental market. Its aim is to invest €200 million in Madrid and Barcelona through the Socimi Elix Vintage.

Finally, Redevco has created a new fund to invest €500 million in residential projects in several European markets, including Spain (…). Redevco is planning to build a pan-European residential portfolio comprising approximately 2,500 units.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo & Marisa Anglés)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Elix VRS Purchases a Building in Barcelona for €4M

3 December 2018 – Eje Prime

Elix Vintage Residencial Socimi is continuing to back Barcelona. The company, led by the businessmen Jaime Lacasa and Jorge Benjumeda, has purchased a building in Barcelona for €4 million, according to a statement filed by the company with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

The purchase of the asset, located on Calle Tamarit in the Catalan capital, has been financed in part (42.5%) by own funds and in part (57.5%) by a loan. The loan, granted by CaixaBank, has a duration of five years with a quarterly repayment schedule.

This operation follows the purchase of another residential property that the Socimi carried out at the end of October. On that occasion, Elix VRS acquired a building on Calle Consell de Cent for €4.1 million, according to a report filed by the company with the MAB. Moreover, in August, the firm purchased a portfolio of four assets in the centre of the Catalan capital for €34 million.

The Socimi, controlled primarily by the property developer Elix and the funds KKR and Altamar Capital Partners, has a portfolio containing more than 25 assets located in Madrid and Barcelona. The company’s plans involve purchasing around forty buildings between now and 2021 to subject them to comprehensive renovations and then put the homes up for rent. That rental income will sustain the Socimi, which plans to rotate its portfolio of assets every three years.

Elix VRS made its debut on the stock market in July. The company, which is headquartered in Barcelona, was created with a share capital of €100 million, the majority of which was contributed by KKR and a group of international and domestic investors including Altamar and Deutsche Finance Group. The rest of the shares are owned by Jaime Lacasa and Jorge Benjumeda, the founders of the Socimi.

Original story: Eje Prime (by B. Seijo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Elix Buys a Building in Barcelona for €4.1M

26 October 2018 – Eje Prime

Elix VRS is continuing to grow its portfolio as a listed company. The Socimi, led and founded by Jaime Lacasa and Jorge Benjumeda, has acquired a building in Barcelona for €4.1 million, according to a statement filed by the company with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

The purchase of the property, located on Calle Consell de Cent of the Catalan capital, has been financed in part by the company’s own funds (45%) and in part by a loan (55%). The loan, granted by CaixaBank, has a five-year term and a quarterly repayment schedule.

This operation follows the acquisition of four buildings in the centre of Barcelona that the company carried out in August for €34 million. The new assets of Elix VRS, controlled primarily by the property developer Elix and the funds KKR and Altamar, are located in iconic areas of the Catalan capital.

During 2018 and after just one year of life, the Socimi already has 25 projects underway in Madrid and Barcelona. With this volume of operations, the real estate company is going to put more than 300 homes on the market. Six of these projects are new build and the other 19 are renovations.

Elix’s plans involve buying around forty buildings by 2021 to subject them to comprehensive renovations and place the homes on the rental market once they have been renovated. These rents will fee the Socimi, which plans to rotate the portfolio of assets that it builds every three years.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

KKR, Altamar & Single Homes Launch New JV to Invest €450M in Málaga

26 October 2018 – Eje Prime

New joint venture to boost the luxury residential sector in Málaga. The funds KKR and Altamar have joined forces with the real estate company Single Homes to invest €450 million in the construction of several developments in the prime urbanisation of Finca Cortesín, located close to the Málagan town of Casares.

The plot where the residential complex is going to be built spans an area of 215 hectares and is located in the centre of the Costa del Sol, between Marbella and Sotogrande. The plan is for the joint venture to build a complex of luxury apartments and villas on this plot worth more than €200 million, according to reports from Expansión.

Single Homes is going to retain a majority stake in the company, whose long-term purpose involves launching other projects with a surface area of almost fifty hectares. The alliance with the funds will allow the real estate firm to finance and consolidate the Finca Cortesín residential complex, which already has a hotel, a golf course and two residential complexes.

The Spanish group, which has more than fifty years of experience, started to operate under the current name in 1987, following the merger of various companies. Nowadays, the company owns a portfolio of assets worth more than €450 million and land for the construction of more than 2,500 homes.

Meanwhile, with this project, KKR and Altamar are once again joining forces in Spain. In 2017, the funds teamed up with the property developer Elix to launch a Socimi specialising in the residential segment.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Socimi Elix VRS to Acquire 4 Assets in Barcelona for €14M

23 October 2018 – Idealista

The Socimis are continuing to grow their portfolios with the acquisition of new assets. Following the purchase of four residential buildings in Barcelona for €34 million, Elix VRS, the Socimi owned by the property developer Elix and the funds KKR and Altamar, is finalising the purchase of new assets amounting to €14 million, as explained by the group in a statement filed with the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

The company has carried out an update of its forecasts as a result of the upcoming purchase of four assets in Barcelona involving an investment of €14 million. In this way, the company is planning to grow revenues to €578,000 in 2018 and to €1,809,000 in 2019, which represents an almost tripling of the figures following the update. “These forecasts have been prepared on the basis of prudent criteria, taking into account only the assets in the portfolio and the assets committed contractually”, explain sources at the group.

The four residential buildings that Elix’s Socimi purchased are located in the Catalan capital, in the Born neighbourhood, on Calle Comerç and Calle Ribera, as well as on Avenida Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes and Calle Notariat. The acquisition was financed in part (35%) using the company’s own funds and in part (65%) using a mortgage loan secured by the four assets granted by Caixabank.

In just one year, the Socimi owned by KKR, Elix and Altamar has launched 25 projects (six new builds and 19 renovations) in Madrid and Barcelona. In this way, the group is planning to launch more than 300 homes onto the market.

The plans for Elix VRS involve debuting the entity on the stock market in 2019 and purchasing around forty buildings over three years, which it will subject to a comprehensive renovation before placing the newly renovated homes on the rental market.

Original story: Idealista (by Custodio Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

La Caixa Finalises its Purchase of 49.9% of Saba for €900M

6 June 2018 – Expansión

Criteria is planning to acquire 100% of the parking lot group, which has itself closed several operations in recent months, resulting in the addition of almost 15,000 parking spaces to its portfolio.

Reorganisation between the shareholders of Saba, the parking lot group controlled by Criteria (50.1%), the industrial holding company of la Caixa, and in which Torreal (20%), KKR (18.2%) and ProA (10.5%) hold stakes, along with 3,000 minority shareholders (1.2%).

Criteria is finalising the acquisition of the remaining 49.9% that it does not yet own in Saba for €900 million, according to sources in the infrastructure sector. It remains to be seen whether this operation will be completed in time to be approved at the Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting, which is scheduled to be held next Tuesday, 12 June. The celebration of the assembly had been postponed from 9 May precisely for the purpose of signing the deal that will see Criteria take complete control over the group chaired by Salvador Alemany.

The agenda for Saba’s General Shareholders’ Meeting includes the ratification and appointment of the company’s directors. In the event that the takeover does not take place, the most feasible option would be for another General Shareholders’ Meeting to be convened, but in that case an Extraordinary one.

The price at which Saba had been valued initially amounted to around €1.4 billion for 100% of the Catalan company, based on a multiplier of around 14 times its EBITDA in 2016. Saba’s accounts for 2017 have not been published yet, pending the General Shareholders’ Meeting next week, but a slight increase is expected both in turnover and profits, boosted by the strong performance of the firm in countries such as Portugal. In 2016, the company recorded a comparable gross profit of €94 million after generating revenues of €205 million, 66% of which were recorded in Spain.

Original story: Expansión (by M. Á. Patiño, A. Zañón & C. Morán)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Port Aventura to Invest €40M in New 4-Star Hotel & Fairground Ride

23 May 2018 – Expansión

The Port Aventura theme park, owned by Investindustrial and KKR, is going to invest €40 million next year in the construction of a new themed four-star hotel in the Far West area and a new fairground ride – the first dark ride – in the Sésamo Aventura children’s area.

The hotel will absorb a budget of €25 million and will join the five other hotel establishments already in operation in the resort. The aim of Port Aventura is to exceed 5 million visitors this year thanks to the boost from Ferrari Land, which opened five new children’s rides yesterday, according to Efe.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake

Criteria to Make a Decision Regarding the Remaining 49% Stake in Saba on 24 May

23 May 2018 – Expansión 

Tomorrow (Thursday 24 May), the Board of Directors of Criteria, the investment arm of La Caixa, will make a decision regarding the future of Saba, the parking lot group of which it is a controlling shareholder, with a 51% stake. Criteria must decide whether to purchase the remaining 49% share capital currently in the hands of KKR, Torreal and ProA Capital or, by contrast, accept an offer for the purchase of 100% of the company chaired by Salvador Alemany.

According to sources close to the operation, Criteria’s position will be to emerge as the buyer, once the economic estimate of the asset has been made known, whose valuation ranges between €1.2 billion and €1.4 billion.

The investment by La Caixa’s industrial holding company will put an end to the period of uncertainty that the company has been experiencing since Torreal (20%), KKR (18.5%) and ProA (10.5%) agreed to sell their combined 49% stake in a coordinated way more than a year ago. Saba’s minority shareholders have forced this outcome. According to the shareholders’ agreements, the drag-along clause was activated in May, which means that any of the shareholders may require the sale of 100% of the company. KKR, ProA and Torreal notified La Caixa of their intention to find a buyer. According to sources consulted, Criteria has expressed its willingness to buy at the estimated prices. Several funds have also expressed their interest in Saba. As Expansión revealed in November 2017, Arcus was one of the first funds to propose an agreement. In the market, sources also point to Macquarie, which purchased Empark last year.

For Criteria, which has declined to comment, the investment in Saba would represent its first major buy-side move since it sold 10% of Gas Natural Fenosa to the fund GIP in 2016 for around €1.8 billion and following its exit this month from Abertis, after accepting the joint takeover bid presented by ACS and Atlantia. For its 18% stake in the highway group, Criteria has received more than €3 billion, which it will use to fund new investments.

The conversations have accelerated in recent weeks to the point that Saba had to postpone its General Shareholders’ Meeting. Originally, it had been convened for 9 May, but it has been postponed until 12 June pending an agreement between the shareholders.

Original story: Expansión (by C.M., M.P.L. and A.Z.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Ardian Places Indigo Sale On Hold after Raising €700M in Debt

4 May 2018 – Expansión

Ardian and its partner Predica (Credit Agricole) have decided to put on hold the sale of their parking lot subsidiary Indigo, one of the giants in the European sector with significant interests in Spain. The shareholders, which have been looking at various options for their investment over the last year, have opted to re-leverage the company in the end, with a €700 million bond issue, which will be used to refinance some of the debt that expires in 2020, and also, to distribute an extraordinary dividend to shareholders.

With this move, the possible sale of the former VinciPark has been put on hold, after Ardian went off the idea of divestment in 2017 when it did not obtain satisfactory offers for the asset. According to sources close to the operation, Indigo’s shareholders were left with three options: put the “for sale” sign back up; re-leverage the company and distribute an extraordinary dividend to the shareholders; or encourage a merger agreement with other parking lot groups.

Until a few weeks ago, all three options were on the table. One of the possibilities involved exploring an alliance with the Spanish firm Saba. The parking lot group controlled by Criteria (La Caixa) is also undergoing a process of transformation after the decision was taken by its minority shareholders, which together hold a 49% stake, to exit the company. That round of contact did not prosper and Indigo decided to begin the procedure to launch a macro debt issue, which took place on 12 April.

Sources in the sector believe that a merger between Saba and Indigo would have business logic given the minimal overlap and their capacity to form a group with sufficient critical mass to explore a stock market listing. Trading on the stock market has always been the ultimate dream of Saba’s founding partners. By contrast, Ardian avoids investments in listed groups (…).

Indigo is, together with Qpark and Apcoa, the largest parking lot group in Europe. According to the latest available figures, the company recorded turnover of €897 million in 2017, with an EBITDA of €310 million. The company’s net financial debt amounts to €1.666 billion. Saba and Empark also feature in Europe’s Top 8 ranking of the largest parking lot groups, but their turnover figures are significantly lower than those of Indigo and QPark.

According to experts, another factor that would contribute to accelerating the corporate movements in the sector is the ownership structure. The giants in the sector are owned by investment funds and private equity firms with a relative dearth of long-term investors. QPark is controlled by KKR, whilst the German firm Apcoa is owned by Centerbridge. Ardian controls Indigo and Macquarie is the new owner of Empark. Saba is the only company with an industrial shareholder – Criteria – and a long-term interest (…).

Although not its largest market, Indigo conducts significant business in Spain. Revenues amounted to €41 million in 2017, with an EBITDA of almost €20 million. It is Indigo’s third largest market in Europe, after France and the United Kingdom. The outlook for Spain is positive. According to the consultancy firm DBK, revenues from the rental of parking spaces (…) in Spain and Portugal amounted to €1.145 billion in 2017, which represented an increase of 3.8% with respect to the previous year. In 2016, that figure grew by 4.5%.

Original story: Expansión (by C. Morán)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Saba Delays AGM by 1 Month to Finalise New Ownership Structure

3 May 2018 – Expansión

Never before has an ordinary general meeting of Saba’s shareholders raised so much expectation. The parking lot company, in which Criteria Caixa holds a 50.1% stake, has delayed the shareholders’ meeting that it had planned to hold in Barcelona on 9 May, postponing it until 12 June. The reason is that the shareholders still need to agree on the changes in their stakes in the parking lot company.

Its been a while since Torreal, which owns 20% of Saba; KKR, which holds 18.5%; and ProA, which owns 10.5%, expressed their intention of divesting their stakes in the company, a move that is logical for funds, which typically rotate their portfolios every few years.

But Criteria Caixa, which is in a position to buy, in light of the proceeds amounting to €3 billion that it is going to receive over the next few months when it sells its stake in Abertis, has initiated conversations with the other three major shareholders to take control of the company. The remaining 1.2% of the shares, which are owned by small investors, proceed from the time when Saba belonged to Abertis.

In parallel, Criteria is also planning to hold a Board Meeting at the end of this month to define the final position of its investment portfolio. Sources consulted assure that a decision will be taken at that meeting as to whether to take over complete control of the company led by Josep Martínez Vila or to sell its stake. In theory, all indicators are that Criteria Caixa will become Saba’s sole shareholder.

Finishing touches

During the extra month that they will now have, the shareholders are going to close all of the details to approve the changes in their shareholding. Meanwhile, Saba has justified the change of date in “the greater social interest and for reasons beyond its control”. Nevertheless, some parties were in favour of holding the meeting and organising another extraordinary meeting later on, once the shareholder restructuring has been agreed.

The aspects to be discussed include the distribution of a dividend amounting to €19.95 million, charged against the issue premium; the approval of the results; and, as the fifth item on the agenda, the re-election and appointment of the directors.

Criteria is going through a time of enormous liquidity due to the funds that it is going to receive when it sells the 18% stake that it holds in Abertis and because it has not participated in any large operations since it divested its 10% stake in Gas Natural Fenosa, for which it obtained €1.8 billion.

Saba, chaired by Salvador Alemany, is worth around €1.4 billion, on the basis of a multiple of between 12 and 14 times its EBITDA, which amounts to around €100 million. The company manages 195,000 parking spaces and, in 2016 – the most recent year for which data is available – it recorded revenues of €205 million (+17%) and obtained EBITDA of €94 million (+10%) (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Artur Zanón)

Translation: Carmel Drake