Atlético de Madrid will Sell the Calderón Land in Q1 2019

2 February 2019 – Expansión

Following the demolition of the stadium, the club will be able to sell the plots where 600 homes are expected to be built.

The project to urbanise the Mahou-Calderón area, which will convert the surface area currently occupied by Atlético de Madrid’s former stadium into homes and tertiary use, has taken a step forward. Within the next few weeks, work is expected to start on the demolition of the Vicente Calderón, which will enable progress to take place with the reparcelling and subsequent sale of the land.

The Madrilenian club, owner of 50% of the surface area, will then be able to proceed with the sale of the land, which has a surface area of 14,866 m2 and a buildability of more than 63,000 m2. On this plot, between 550 and 600 homes may be built, with prices of around €6,000/m2.

Besides the Madrilenian club, the other owner of the land is Mahou San Miguel. The brewery company has not yet taken a decision regarding the sale of its share.

Candidates

Sources at the club have indicated to Expansión that several parties are interested in these plots, which constitute the last major stock of land left inside the M-30. The potential buyers of the plots include investment funds, property developers, joint ventures between the two and cooperatives. “We are holding very advanced negotiations with three of them with the idea of formalising the operation this quarter”, they state.

In terms of the timings, once work has started on the demolition of the stadium, which is expected to begin in the coming days, the reparceling project will continue, which will last for the months of February and March. Once the plots have been registered in the registry, they will be available for sale. The Project will carry out the urbanisation and building work at the same time in such a way that the homes could be ready within three or four years (…).

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo & E. Santos)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Tristan Capital & Savills IM Buy 6 Office Buildings in Madrid

6 October 2018 – Real Estate Press

Tristan Capital Partners, together with its local operating partner Savills Investment Management, has acquired a portfolio of offices spanning 78,000 m2 in Madrid from the Socimi Inmobiliaria Colonial for the added value fund Episo4.

The portfolio comprises six Grade A office buildings located in established sub-markets outside of the Spanish capital’s business district: Campo de las Naciones, Josefa Valcárcel (A2) and Arroyo de la Vega (A1), as well as Agustín de Foxá, in the district of Chamartín. The portfolio offers immediate and large-scale exposure to the office market in Madrid, as well as a well-diversified tenant mix, and has the capacity of capturing an expected increase in rents.

Nikolay Velev, CEO of Tristan Capital Partners, said: “After several years of solid economic growth, job creation and a shortage of new developments, an imbalance has been generated between supply and demand in the office market in Madrid, which has resulted in a high net absorption of space and a considerable growth in rents. This trend has been particularly strong inside the M-30 and the differential in rents between offices located inside and outside the central district is now at a historical high. We hope that this gap will be reduced over time”.

The local operating partner will be Savills Investment Management with which CCP 5 LL (Tristan’s core-plus fund over the long term) successfully completed the acquisition of the Manoteras business park (Madrid) in 2017 for €103 million.

Fernando Ramírez de Haro, Head of Savills Investment Management in Spain, stated: “We are delighted to expand our relationship with Tristan through this portfolio. The buildings are of an excellent quality and are highly energy efficient. Moreover, they offer modern and flexible spaces, making them ideally positioned to capture the increase in rents and the growth that is expected to take place outside the M-30”.

Tristan Capital and Savills Investment Management have been advised by Savills Aguirre Newman, Uría Menéndez, Currie & Brown and PwC.

Original story: Real Estate Press

Translation: Carmel Drake

Colonial Divests 7 Office Buildings & 1 Turnkey Project in Madrid for €441M

6 October 2018 – Real Estate Press

Colonial has announced the sale of seven office buildings and a turnkey project in Madrid for a total price of €441 million. The sales have been made under very favourable conditions for the company for a premium of 12% above the most recent valuation.

The assets transacted have a gross leasable area of 106,574 m2 and are located, for the most part (91%) outside of the city’s central business district. They are non-strategic buildings for the company outside of the M-30, mature assets and a project in Castellana Sur / Mendez Álvaro.

Colonial has divested assets, which after a recent real estate transformation have reached high occupancy levels and the maximum point in the cycle for the creation of real estate value. For example, in the case of Alcalá 30-32, the rental contract was recently renegotiated with a +21% increase in the rental price and which is currently 100% occupied by the Public Administration with a long-term contract.

Office project

Colonial has reached an agreement with Grupo Catalana Occidente to sell it a turnkey project spanning more than 20,000 m2 on a plot that it acquired under the framework of the Alpha-III project in January. The project is located in the Méndez Álvaro office market and will allow the consolidation of the Castellana Sur area with the occupancy of the building by a large corporation.

Similarly, Colonial will begin construction of another major project “Méndez Álvaro Campus” over the next few months. That project has an above ground surface area of 90,000 m2 and will house the largest office complex inside the M-30.

Optimal conditions at the right time

This operation has been carried out taking advantage of the good momentum in the office investment market in Spain, which is continuing to generate strong interest amongst institutional and private investors.

Only 4 months have passed since the company identified these assets for sale along with the potential investors, demonstrating the Colonial Group’s capacity to execute this type of transaction under optimal conditions.

The buyers include institutional investors of recognised prestige such as Tristan Capital Partners, Real I.S. and Grupo Catalana Occidente. In the different operations, Colonial has received legal advice from Ramón y Cajal Abogados and Roca Junyent

Reinvestment of capital focused on Prime

The funds received from the divestments will be used primarily to finance the portfolio of high-quality office projects spanning a surface area of 320,000 m2, as well as the company’s acquisition program. The Group’s net indebtedness (LTV) following the divestment of these assets will clearly fall below 40%.

“The company frames these divestments within its strategy to focus on prime assets with maximum added value, where demand and value growth are most notable. With this operation, Colonial increases its flexibility and capacity to continue developing its growth strategy, focused on projects with maximum values and returns”, explained Pere Viñolas, CEO of Colonial.

Original story: Real Estate Press

Translation: Carmel Drake

Prologis Achieves Full Occupancy at its Logistics Park in Barajas

25 January 2018 – Mis Naves

Today, Prologis, Inc. announced that it has signed a rental agreement for 2,720 m2 with Alfil Logistics and a purchase agreement for 2,720 m2 with Transemer in the Prologis Park Barajas (Madrid). With these operations, the company has reached full occupancy at the logistics park.

Alfil Logistics, a logistics operator that provides services for consumer, food and drinks products; and Transemer, a company specialising in the transportation of goods, have chosen this park for its great location and direct connections with Madrid-Barajas Airport, which is located just 500 m away. Similarly, the park has an excellent communication network with direct access to the A-2 and M-11 highways, as well as to the M-30 and M-40 ring roads.

Prologis Park Barajas offers its clients numerous features, including a 24-hour surveillance service, an internal free height of 10 metres, 6 loading bays per module and a modern fire detection and extinction system.

“With these operations, we take the occupancy rate at Prologis Park Barajas to 100%. Our clients have immediate access to the Community of Madrid’s entire road network and the site is just 500m from Madrid-Barajas Airport”, said Gustavo Cardozo, Senior Vice-President of Prologis Iberia. “We are delighted that Alfil Logistics and Transemer have decided to strategically back our park in Barajas by consolidating their operations there”.

The real estate consultant CBRE and an independent agent have been responsible for advising these operations.

Original story: Mis Naves

Translation: Carmel Drake

Arcano Acquires Hotel La Moreleja In Madrid For €12.5M

20 November 2017 – Observatorio Inmobiliario

Arcano’s real estate fund, the Arcano Spanish Opportunity Real Estate Fund (ASOREF), has announced a new operation to purchase two assets in Madrid with a combined value of €12.15 million, which will be used as office space. With this acquisition, the fund is advancing with its strategy of investing in real estate value-added operations in the main cities in Spain.

The objective of the fund is to demolish the existing hotel and construct a state-of-the-art office building on the site, to be designed by the architecture studio Rafael de La-Hoz. The property will have an above ground gross leasable area of 8,100 m2. The new building will be very flexible in its design and will have very high efficiency ratios, as well as a Leed Gold certification to accredit its energy efficiency and construction quality.

The properties acquired in this operation, located on Avenida de Europa, in the La Moreleja Business Park, comprise an attractive real estate complex in a sub-market where several large corporations, such as Pfizer, Acciona and Telefónica have their main headquarters. It is one of the most important business centres in Madrid and one of the most sought-after for office space outside the M-30.

“This is a very significant operation within the capital’s real estate market given the scarcity of land and new build offices in Madrid and, more specifically, in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, the operation will allow us to provide new high-quality spaces at a time of intense demand”, said Pablo Gómez-Almansa, Director of Investments at ASOREF.

Arcano already has committed investments amounting to €173 million for its first real estate fund.

This operation follows the purchase of an office building for its corporate headquarters in Madrid on Calle Ríos Rosas, with an above ground buildable surface area of 3,517 m2; the acquisition of a plot of land with a buildable surface area of 6,029 m2 in Las Rozas (Madrid) for the development of high-end homes; the purchase of a residential building on Calle Divino Pastor, 5 in Madrid, for the construction of 28 new build homes; and the acquisition of a beachfront plot of land in Benalmádena, with a buildable surface area of 12,000 m² , amongst others.

The fund invests in value-added operations across all kinds of properties, with a clear focus towards residential assets in the main Spanish cities and also along the Costa del Sol, without forgetting other assets, including office buildings, logistics assets, retail premises and shopping centres, whenever they represent opportunities to generate value as part of the fund’s investment philosophy. Arcano whereby covers a gap in the real estate sector in Spain by targeting medium-sized value-added operations (between €5 million and €25 million in equity), with a clear local focus.

Original story: Observatorio Inmobiliario

Translation: Carmel Drake

Realia Sells ‘Los Cubos’ Office Building To Therus For €52M

23 October 2017 – Expansión

The real estate company Realia, owned by Inmobiliaria Carso and FCC, which are both controlled by the Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, has sold the office building known as Los Cubos, located in Madrid, for €52 million.

The buyer is the French real estate company Therus, which is co-investing with the British investment group Henderson Park, according to several sources.

The property, which owes its name to its unique architecture, has a leasable area of 18,324 m2 and 334 parking spaces.

The real estate company put this building, located in the vicinity of the M-30 ring road, up for sale at the end of last year, as reported by Expansión at the time. The building has been vacant since the end of 2015. Before its sale, the company considered renovating it on several occasions to improve its appeal in the market.

In the end, Realia has sold the building for €52 million, compared to the initial asking price of €57 million. The sale of Los Cubos is the latest in a long line of high profile real estate investment operations closed in Spain in recent months. The investment volume in the real estate sector during the 9 months to September amounted to €10,300 million.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

‘Operación Chamartín’ Becomes ‘Madrid, Nuevo Norte’

31 July 2017 – Expansión

A Solomonic agreement has been reached between DCN, the Ministry of Development, the Town Hall of Madrid and the Community of Madrid to push ahead with the long-standing project, which will see the construction of 11,000 homes (including 4,100 social housing properties) and a large business centre.

But its name is no longer ‘Operación Chamartín’, ‘Distrito Castellana Norte’ or ‘Madrid Puerta Norte’….after almost 25 years since the idea was first floated by the then government of Felipe González, the development in the northern zone of the belt of Madrid’s M30, is going to be called ‘Madrid, Nuevo Norte’.

On Thursday, the Town Hall of Madrid, Adif and DCN (the property developer in which BBVA and SanJosé hold stakes) presented the strategic guidelines upon which the new project is going to be based. It reduces the buildability to 2.68 million m2, down by 20.5% compared to the 3.37 million m2 proposed by DCN, and cuts the total number of homes to 11,000, of which 20% will be social housing properties. On the other hand, the management of the plan has been handed over to the Town Hall of Madrid, which will control the timings and activities.

The players involved announced the 19 points included as the basis of the agreement, most of which are technical, and which also involve resolving the legal actions. The new plan will see a modification to the General Urban Plan (PGOU) and is divided into five areas (Chamartín Station, Business Centre, Fuencarral Malmea, Fuencarral Tres Olivos and Las Tablas) and two large zones: the South of the M30, which will constitute primarily office space and a large CBD, and the North of the M30, which will focus on housing.

A large business centre for Madrid

One of the fundamental axes of the plan will be the Chamartín station and the Business Centre, which will be located next to the new station to allow for sustainable mobility. The event on Thursday was attended by the Minister for Development, Íñigo de la Serna; the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, and the President of the company Distrito Castellana Norte (DCN), Antonio Béjar. “This initiative has solid pillars and is sustainable over time. It is an avant-garde and recognisable project, which will generate investment and create employment”, said Antonio Béjar.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, expressed her appreciation for the capacity for “dialogue and consensus” and asked for collaboration from the other political groups to move ahead with the project. “The world is changing. From now on, in Madrid, we are going to be capable of forming part of that change”. For the Minister for Development, Íñigo de la Serna, this is a new project, born out of an agreement that unites the interests of the parties (…).

In this way, the urban planning project, which just six months ago looked to be doomed to failure, seems to be back on track in the critical areas. The property developers said that Madrid does not currently have a recognisable and compact business district. This plan, they said, is designed to fill that gap.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo, L. Ruiz-Ocaña and C. Galera)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Madrid: 26% More Office Space Was Leased In Q2 2016

7 July 2016 – Expansión

Despite the decrease in investment in the real estate sector and, specifically, in the office segment so far this year, leasing of office space in Madrid is continuing to rise; and it exceeded the threshold of 100,000 sqm in Q2 2016.

Specifically, leasing of office space in the capital rose by 26% during the second quarter of the year, to 110,000 sqm. In half year terms, that figure represents an increase of 14,000 sqm, to 219,500 sqm, according to a report from BNP Paribas Real Estate. For BNP Paribas Real Estate, this leasing trend reflects the “good health” of business activity in Madrid, which is driving further forecast increases in office space leases.

During the second quarter, approximately 110 operations were signed, which means that more than 100 operations have been signed per quarter for the last seven consecutive quarters, compared with the average of 88 contracts per quarter registered between 2009 and 2014.

In terms of average rents, the real estate consultancy firm notes an increase in four sub-areas of Madrid (the financial district, the centre, the decentralised area and the outskirts). Specifically, overall average rents have increased by around 13% in annual terms, to €15/sqm/month.

BNP Paribas Real Estate highlights the behaviour of the decentralised area of Madrid, which accounted for 42% of the new leases during the quarter and recorded the highest increase in rents, with rises of almost 30% YoY. “The trend seen during the crisis, when most lease contracts were signed in areas inside the M-30, is now being reversed”.

The consultancy firm highlights in its report that the amount of available surface area is still decreasing, in light of the shortage of new offices and the flurry of new leasing activity over the last two years. Specifically, at the end of June, the availability rate stood at less than 15%, with further decreases forecast.

In terms of predictions for the rest of the year, BNP Paribas Real Estate expects the leasing figures in the second half of the year to be in line with those seen during H1, and it forecasts that rental prices will increase “slightly”.

“These figures are backed up by a labour market that is continuing to recover, with the most recent employment figures showing positive results. The number of people registered as unemployed is at its lowest level since September 2009 and that figure is expected to fall further still”, say sources at the consultancy.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake

Venezuelan Group Invests €180M In Two Projects In Spain

5 July 2016 – Expansión

More Latin American investment in the Spanish real estate sector. A Venezuelan group controlled by the businessman Juan Guillermo Álamo (pictured above) is backing two projects in Madrid and Barcelona that are going to require a total investment of around €180 million. In the Spanish capital, through Ibemetex, the investor plans to invest €150 million in the transformation of the La Ermita shopping centre, which the entity acquired in 2009, at the height of the crisis in the sector.

Under the framework of the project to redevelop the land freed up after the M-30 was buried underground, an initiative actioned by the previous Town Hall of Madrid, Ibemetex managed to persuade the Town Hall to approve the demolition of the existing shopping centre and the construction of a new complex. The project involves constructing a 75,000 sqm building on a plot of land measuring 45,000 sqm, and will include homes, sports centres and a 150-room hotel, in addition to the retail space. “We are negotiating with the new Town Hall of Madrid to obtain definitive approval for the project”, said Álamo, who considers that his initiative will benefit the city and contribute to improving the area.

In addition to Álamo, Ibemetex has another high profile shareholder in the form of another Venezuelan businessman, Beto Finol, who holds interests in the lactose and livestock sectors and owns a pharmaceutical laboratory with operations in Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Ibemetex is also the owner of the Aqualon shopping centre in Huelva, another asset that it acquired at the height of the real estate bubble.

In parallel, Álamo is promoting the construction of a 125-home complex in the coastal town of Montgat, just a few kilometres from Barcelona. The project will involve an investment of €30 million and will be built on land that used to house the factory of the ice cream company Farggi, which he acquired in October 2015.

Original story: Expansión (by Sergi Saborit)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Operación Calderón: More Social Housing But No Skyscrapers

4 July 2016 – Expansión

The buildability ratio has been reduced by 16% / The new proposals reflect a lower buildability ratio, with an average building height of eight storeys, and a larger transfer of land to the town hall, which will be dedicated in tis entirety to social housing.

Operación Calderón is back on the public agenda once again. The Town Hall of Madrid, together with the owners of the land – Atlético de Madrid football club and the beer company Mahou San Miguel – have agreed new plans for the site, which include reducing the buildability ratio by 16%, decreasing the average height of the buildings, and transferring more land to the Town Hall, which will be used for the construction of social housing. The plan must be presented to the Town Hall before it is approved.

“We have managed to launch a project that has gone through a difficult period, thanks to a better system of working. This has included listening, collaboration and the capacity to yield and seek the common good”, said the mayoress of Madrid, Manuela Carmena.

According to the new proposal, the total buildability area has been decreased from 175,000 sqm to 147,000 sqm, i.e. 16.15% less, and the average height of the buildings has been reduced from 20 storeys to eight.

Of the total buildability, around 129,000 sqm will be dedicated to homes. The representative of the Town Hall of Madrid’s Sustainable Urban Development department, José Manuel Calvo, explained that all of the 10% of the land transferred to the Town Hall will be reserved for social housing, which will allow it to “carry out the social housing policies supported by the city’s Government”.

The new plans also increase the size of the green spaces from 54,600 sqm to 79,900 sqm, and of the new facilities from 10,00 sqm to 12,800 sqm. The Town Hall has explained that the plans reflect “most” of the demands made by the neighbourhood associations of Arganzuela and will be subjected to a process of “public consultation for citizens and entities to offer their suggestions”.

Costs

In terms of placing the M-30 underground, the Town Hall will bear the cost of the integration of this stretch by offering “alternative solutions with much lower costs”. The Town Hall plans to cover part of the motorway, which would cost between €50 million and €60 million, compared with the projected cost of €140 million or €150 million associated with the previous plans.

The presentation of the agreement – which had initially been planed for 22 June, but which was postponed until after the elections – was attended by the President of Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo and the Director of Mahou San Miguel’s land business unit, Paloma Boceta. Cerezo said that next season will be Atlético’s last playing at the Calderón, before the club moves to La Peineta. “We have been working on this project for ten years. I hope that we will be able to close the deal some time soon, so as to to enjoy our new stadium and so that Madrid can benefit from a wonderful area in the centre of the city”, he added.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake