Tag: lighting

Sonae Sierra & CBRE GI Put the ‘Max Center de Barakaldo’ Shopping Complex Up For Sale

10 February 2018 – El Correo

Bizkaia is preparing for a major commercial and real estate revolution. Sonae Sierra, the multinational owner of the Max Center shopping complex in Barakaldo has put the property up for sale, 15 years after acquiring it from ING Real Estate. The property was opened in 1994 and was extended in 2002 with the addition of the adjoining Max Ocio building. The latest transaction forms part of a national macro-operation, given that the portfolio up for sale also includes two other large complexes: the Gran Casa de Zaragoza and the Valle Real de Santander.

The company, together with its partner CBRE Global Investors, with whom it jointly shares the ownership of the three large shopping centres, calculates that it will receive proceeds of around €500 million from the sale, according to sources in the sector. Spokespeople for Sonae avoided providing further details about the operation to this newspaper on Thursday. They announced that they only discuss “closed” operations and that the installations in Kareaga, which have an approximate surface area of 60,000 m2 “are still operating in a normal way”.

Nevertheless, the negotiations have been underway for several months. Although they are satisfied with the progress of the business, which is enjoying growing sales and which seems to have left behind the worst years of the crisis, the current owners are looking to generate revenues from the sale of these assets to invest in other projects in different parts of Spain. Sonae Sierra, which is controlled by Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster and the richest man in the United Kingdom, has a presence in seven countries with 46 buildings worth almost €7 billion. It is currently working alongside the British operator McArthurGlen on the imminent opening of a luxury outlet in the Plaza Mayor de Málaga complex, which will involve a disbursement of €140 million.

The company is looking to take advantage of the current times in the Spanish real estate market, which are being characterised by a great deal of interest from funds and overseas companies. Last year, investment in the retail sector rose in a spectacular fashion – by 31% – to reach €3.9 billion. If this latest sale goes ahead, the owners of the Max Center, which is home to 133 stores, as well as a sizeable restaurant and leisure area, would complete their second divestment process in Bizkaia in two years.

At the beginning of 2016, they sold the Zubiarte de Bilbao complex to Activum SG Iberia Fund for €150 million (…).

Modernisation of its roof

Now, all eyes are focused on the Max Center, which has just invested €3.5 million on the modernisation of its roof. Nevertheless, the improvements are not going to stop there, given that the complex is soon going to be subjected to a complete renovation. The changes undertaken in recent months to renew the roof of the building, which houses a parking lot, included the resurfacing of the surface area and its signage, as well as improvements to the lighting and security in the parking area.

In addition to the successive renovation projects, the Max Center has also improved its sustainable profile with several actions aimed at reducing water consumption, improving energy efficiency and increasing recycling rates. Together with these interventions, management has been working on an intense campaign to increase the commercial offering and renew the trust of its customers who are being offered increasingly more choice by nearby competitors, such as Megapark and Ballonti (Portugalete). Some of the new brands that have chosen the Max Center and are about to open stores there include Pablosky, Indie&Soul, San Carlos, Trendie, Loop&Coffe and Burger King. Meanwhile, other stores, which are already established, such as the footwear shop Foot Locker, have undergone major renovations.

Original story: El Correo (by Luis Gómez)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Deutsche Bank Invests €32M On Complete Renovation Of Diagonal Mar

22 September 2017 – Eje Prime

Deutsche Bank is subjecting one of its star assets in Spain to a facelift. The company is going to invest €32 million on the comprehensive renovation of a shopping centre that it purchased last year for €493 million, according to Isabel Bofill, the manager of the complex, speaking to EjePrime (…)

“In accordance with the needs of the market, we have decided to cut the cinema space in half and add an extra 5,000 m2 to retail”, explains Bofill. The complex is already immersed in the construction work and has all of the permits necessary for this new area of the shopping centre to start to take shape.

“It has taken us several years to get to this point, to give the shopping centre a facelift, but Deutsche Bank’s commitment to position Diagonal Mar (in the market) is real”, says Bofill. The first phase of this construction project will involve converting the third floor of the complex, which has been used only for leisure until now, into another floor for retail, together with restaurants and cinemas (…).

Although the decision regarding how many new stores will be created as a result of the construction work has yet to be taken, Bofill says that one of the objectives of this renovation is to respond to the current needs of retail: the megastores. “A shopping centre has to be in constant movement: when an operator disappears, it is not bad, it is simply the end of a phase”.

Bofill was referring to the departure of Fnac from Diagonal Mar, which is due to leave shortly, whereby freeing up 3,900 m2 of space for new players (…).

The comprehensive renovation of Diagonal Mar is expected to be completed by next June. To this end, Deutsche Bank has also committed to carrying out a rebranding of the whole complex and to a general overhaul of the whole centre. “We are going to change the lighting, the floors, the rest areas…we want it to be a completely new commercial thoroughfare”, explains the director.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious proposals at Diagonal Mar, which increased its footfall by 2.5% last year to 17.1 million visitors, is its plan to change the whole façade of the property. “It is old and if we want to project a younger image and appeal to new consumers, we have to make way for a guise that belongs in the 21st century”, explains the director.

Diagonal Mar is currently managed by the real estate consultancy firm CBRE.

Diagonal Mar was designed by Jean-Louis Solal and Robert A.M. Stern and inaugurated in 2001. Located next to the 22@ district in Barcelona, the shopping centre has a gross leasable area of approximately 90,000 m2 and its tenants include brands such as Alcampo, Cinesa, Media Markt, Primark, H&M and the Inditex Group.

Deutsche Bank acquired Diagonal Mar through its real estate arm in Spain, Deutsche Asset Management (Deutsche AM) (…), which has assets under management worth €1,300 million.

The company’s portfolio in the Iberian Peninsula currently comprises 17 real estate assets, specifically: seven shopping centres; seven office buildings; and three logistics assets, with a combined gross leasable area of 420,000 m2 (…).

Original story: Eje Prime (by C. Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Infinorsa Renovates Torre Europa To Attract New Tenants

8 August 2016 – Expansión

Torre Europa is completing the final details (of its renovation process) ahead of the debut of its new image from September. The iconic building – one of the first multiple ownership office buildings in Madrid, constructed in 1985 – will boast a new external façade, as well as a refurbished entrance lobby, floors and common areas, in order to appeal to new tenants.

Infinorsa, the majority owner of the property, has launched an ambitious transformation project, in which it is investing €20 million, with the aim of updating and improving the inside and outside of Torre Europa, equipping it with more light and technological innovations, and whereby allowing it to charge 20% higher average rents. Until now, the rent for Torre Europa has fallen in the middle band for buildings in Azca. With the changes, the rental charge could exceed €27.5/sqm/month.

Tenants

The building, designed by the architect Miguel Oriol e Ybarra, is located in Madrid’s financial district of Azca, just a stone’s throw away from the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the Palacio de Congreso. The property has 32 floors and is 121 metres tall.

Following the departure of the building’s main tenant, KPMG, a few months ago, Torre Europa, with a leasable surface area of 43,000 sqm, currently has around 20,000 sqm of space available for rent. “High quality spaces are currently in demand. We must respond to the new paradigm, with brighter and technologically prepared spaces. This transformation seeks to adapt the property to the needs of the day, whilst at the same time retaining its essence and enhancing its unique qualities”, explained Fernando Ferrero, Director of Operations at Infinorsa.

The renovation process has been complicated by the fact that it has been performed at the same time as the current tenants are occupying approximately half of the building. For this reason, the construction work has been carried out during the night: “This has made the process more expensive, but, in return, we have caused less disruption to the tenants”.

Inside and outside

The work inside the building has involved the renovation of the entrance hall, the common areas and the floors, which is expected to be completed in September. The transformation of the hall will give rise to a much airier entrance, with higher ceilings and a brighter space overall. In terms of the floors, the glass of the windows will go down to the floors, in order to benefit from the natural light and the height of 260 cm per floor.

In terms of the changes outside, the plan involves covering the pillars with steel to preserve the structure, at the same time as updating the image. Similarly, an integrated glass canopy will be added to the external structure. This work is expected to be finalised during the first quarter of 2017.

In terms of technology and other new features, the building will have LED lighting and sensor systems to control both the light and ambient temperature. In addition, Torre Europa will have the technological tools to benefit from big data and geolocation services. Sources at Infinorsa explain that the project fits with the push that the Administrations are giving the capital’s financial district.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake