CBRE: Hotel Investment in the Balearics Doubled in 2018 to c. €1bn

26 March 2019 – Preferente

According to data compiled by CBRE, 47 transactions were closed in the hotel market in the Balearic Islands in 2018, corresponding to a total investment volume of more than €967 million. That figure accounted for 20% of the capital invested in Spain during the year and 32 of the transactions were concentrated in Mallorca, followed by Ibiza with 11 operations and Menorca with just 4.

Most of the operations involved hotel portfolios although two individual asset sales stand out due to their high prices per room: Hospes Maricel & Spa (as part of the Hospes Portfolio) and Belmond La Residencia. Both are 5-star establishments.

Palma (de Mallorca) maintained its position as an attractive urban tourist destination, with the addition of seven new hotel establishments comprising 275 rooms during 2018 alone.

More than 10.3 million visitors travelled to the Balearic Islands during 2018, up by 2.3% YoY, breaking the record the fourth year in a row. Nevertheless, the number of overnight stays fell slightly to 59.3 million (down by 0.4% YoY). Meanwhile, the ADR of the hotels on the islands broke the €100 barrier to reach €104.10 in 2018, up by 5.5% compared to 2017. In addition, RevPAR rose by 3.5% YoY to €80.10.

Original story: Preferente (by R.P.)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Sareb Sells Former Barracks in Es Castell to the Local Government for €2.4M

25 October 2018 – Menorca Info

The Govern, Consell and Town Hall of Es Castell have closed an agreement to purchase the barracks in Plaça Esplanada de Es Castell, Duque de Crillón and Conde Cifuentes. According to reports on Thursday, the payment will be made during the first quarter of next year.

On Tuesday, Sareb, the owner of the properties, confirmed that it was going to accept the economic offer from the Govern, which amounts to €2.4 million. Of that amount, €420,000 will be contributed by the Town Hall of Es Castell, €1 million by the Consell of Menorca, and the remaining €1 million by the Govern.

The agreement specifies that the barracks will be intended for public use given their high historical, heritage and landscape value. The initial plan is for the Govern to carry out the purchase of the warehouses directly from Sareb, to avoid them being used for other purposes.

The executive has already made a provision in the budget for 2019 for the acquisition of this infrastructure.

Ownership of Duque de Crillon will pass to the Town Hall of Es Castell, whilst Conde Cifuentes will be jointly owned by the Govern and the Consell.

Both barracks will be used for public facilities and administrative uses.

Moreover, the agreement provides for the creation of a Monitoring Committee to monitor and control the execution of the commitments made by each institution.

In November, a document will be formalised to sign the agreement and it will be signed before the end of the year. During the first quarter of 2019, the purchase file will be executed and the acquisition will be formalised.

Original story: Menorca Info

Translation: Carmel Drake

Quabit Acquires Land from Sankar in Exchange for 4.55% of its Own Shares

3 August 2018 – El Español

Félix Abánades, President and largest shareholder of the listed real estate company Quabit, is continuing to immerse himself in a quagmire of capital increases that he has been promoting in order to raise funds to use to purchase land, on which to build almost 8,000 homes between now and 2022. His ambitious objective is to invoice almost €2 billion, generate a cash flow of almost €500 million and distribute €90 million in dividends.

Land in exchange for shares

Basically, these increases have been of a non-monetary nature, with the purchase of land in exchange for shares in Quabit. A much cheaper route than the two lines of credit amounting to €100 million that the firm signed with the fund Avenue between December 2016 and December 2017.

Those loans carry a clear risk, given that the principal, on which interest of between 12% and 16% is charged, must be repaid within a maximum term of 4 years following the drawdown date.

Repayment commitment

In light of the probability that the principal will not be returned on time, Avenue forced Quabit to issue warrants, an abusive right over the shares in favour of the fund that, in the worst case, would see it take ownership of 8.56% of the property developer.

For the time being, with Quabit trading at €1.77, at the close of business on Thursday, that option would be ruled out, given that the subscription prices agreed with Avenue for the execution of those rights over the shares range between €3.07 and €3.75.

Six capital increases in one fell swoop

It is for that reason that, in light of this negative outlook, Abánades carried out six capital increases in one fell swoop last November, for a combined total of €41.8 million, with the issue of shares at a price of €2, with a nominal value of €0.50 and a premium of €1.50.

All of those increases were of a non-monetary nature, in which Abánades captured estates from the Basque property developer Ondabide in Mijas (Málaga) and plots in Guadalajara contributed by Rayet, Abánades’s own company. The other four capital increases were placed by the President of Quabit with the Malaga-based property developer, Sankar Real Estate.

Agreement with Sankar

Quabit’s agreement with Sankar, for the subscription of those four increases, was aimed at obtaining plots in the Malagan municipalities of Mijas, Marbella and Estepona and in the Menorcan town of Mercadal, some in the form of proindivisos for 30% of the surface area.

The total operation will allow Sankar to acquire 4.55% of Quabit’s share capital, once the four increases have been fully subscribed. A package of 6.78 million shares, valued initially at an issue price of €13.56 million.

For the time being, Sankar has subscribed to two of these increases. With the public deed of the capital increase of the latter, relating to estates on the island of Menorca, the Malaga-based property developer has been obliged to report to Spain’s National Securities and Exchange Commission (CNMV) its stake as a reference shareholder of Quabit, given that it now owns 3% of the shares. Specifically, its stake amounts to 3.31%.

Losses of 12%

A package of 4.93 million shares that have accumulated losses of 12% compared with the €2 price for which they were issued, taking as a reference Quabit’s COB trading price on Thursday, €1.77.

The consequence of these non-monetary increases is affecting the personal stake of Félix Abánades, the President of Quabit, who has seen his position in the company decrease from 24% just a few months ago to the current level of 21.4%. He is trying to maintain the rate with the acquisition of financial instruments that, in the future, may yield another 1% of share capital.

Original story: El Español (by Juan Carlos Martínez)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Ibiza’s Real Estate Market is a “World of its Own”

11 July 2018 – Diario de Ibiza

The real estate market in Ibiza is not encouraging (for the majority): the available stock of homes “is residual”, the majority of homes bought there are rented out, the peak prices reached in 2017 have been exceeded…and all of this is being compounded by a distinct shortage of land. All in all, it is a troubling scenario for those wishing to live on the island all year round.

Tinsa’s Regional Director for the East and South of Spain, José Antonio López, warned on Wednesday that the lack of land, combined with the demand for housing “is generating a dangerous melting pot” in the Balearic Islands. As such, he is asking the administration to get involved to facilitate the availability of land for property developers.

Those were the words used by López in response to a question from participants at a Proinba-Tinsa real estate meeting held in Palma on Wednesday, where the situation of the residential real estate market was discussed, in particular, the market on the coast.

López warned that this situation may “lead to serious problems” on the islands, where “young people need primary residences” and they “need options”. “For this reason, land is required, and the administration needs to get involved”, said Tinsa’s Regional Director, before adding that the supply of urban land with building permission is “almost non-existent”.

What’s more, “the supply is going to decrease” and with the “surplus demand”, we are seeing “dangerous growth that cannot be met”. In this context, “rental is not an option because those circumstances are also being taken advantage of”. In fact, according to data from Tinsa, in areas such as Ibiza (town), many people are buying to let (…).

Based on data from Tinsa, the average monthly mortgage payment on the Balearic Islands is very high, €792, well above the average for Spain as a whole, €543/month. The financial effort being made by families on the islands is also greater, given that they spent 22% of their household income on mortgages during the first year, compared with the national average of 16.8%.

Ibiza and Formentera set a new record

Of the 12 coastal municipalities analysed on the Balearic Islands, Sóller leads the increase in prices over the last year, with price rises of 21%. Ibiza and Formentera towns came in close behind, with 17.8%, followed by Santa Margalida (17.7%), Palma (14.7%) and Llucmajor (13.8%).

Palma is one of the top five most expensive capitals in Spain, with an average price of €1,951/m2, and in the last year, its growing trend has exceeded the average for the autonomous region.

By contrast, the municipalities that have grown by the least are Sant Lluís and Mahón (3.7%), Ciutadella (4.5%) and Manacor (7.1%) (…).

Ibiza is “recovering too quickly”

According to data from Tinsa, the real estate sector on the coast in Mallorca is “clearly recovering”, whilst in Menorca, there are “signs of recovery” and in the case of Ibiza, there may even be an “excessive recovery”, in López’s opinion.

Prices have been “rising rapidly” on the white island, on a consistent basis for the last few years, and the YoY variation is well above the average. In fact, current prices have already exceeded the maximums seen in 2007.

On the basis of all of these indicators, the Regional Director at Tinsa said that Ibiza’s real estate market could be considered “a world of its own, set apart from other islands and provinces” (…).

Original story: Diario de Ibiza (by E.P.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Quabit Buys Land in Menorca for €24.6M to Build Homes and a Hotel

3 July 2018 – Eje Prime

Quabit is preparing to bring more new homes onto the market. The company chaired by Félix Abánades (pictured below) is taking positions in the residential market in Menorca. The company has acquired a portfolio of buildable residential land on the island for €24.6 million.

The plots are located in Son Parc, on the north coast of Menorca, and form part of the municipality of Es Mercadal, according to explanations provided by the company in a statement. The plots have a buildability of 69,350 m2 for the construction of 277 new homes and 264 hotel beds.

The payment of 70% of the transaction price has been made through the company in which Quabit holds a majority stake and in which the global investment firm Avenue Capital holds almost 10%, with financial support from the funds advised by Avenue. The remaining 30% has been funded by using shares in the company with a value of €2 per share through a non-monetary capital increase.

“Quabit is going to start the pre-launch marketing campaign immediately, before the month of August”, explained the company. The deal in Menorca represents the company’s fourth major land transaction so far this year, after its acquisition of buildable residential plots during the first quarter in Madrid, Guadalajara and Corredor del Henares.

Following these operations, Quabit now has 1.1 million m2 of buildable land on which to build around 8,800 homes. In 2018, Quabit’s commercial portfolio comprises 45 developments with almost 3,300 homes in different phases of construction in Madrid, Málaga and the Costa del Sol, Guadalajara, Corredor del Henares and the Balearic Islands. The company is maintaining its objective of handing over 7,900 homes by 2022.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Elaia Buys a Hotel Complex in Menorca for €17.5 Million

26 March 2018

Elaia, a socimi 66%-owned by Batipart, mainly specialises in tourist accommodations, a sector that accounts for 86% of its portfolio of assets.

Elaia Investment Spain is fattening its asset portfolio through new acquisitions. The socimi reported today that it had bought a hotel complex in Menorca for 17.5 million euros. The socimi advised the Market Alternative Stock Market (MAB) that asset will be operated by Pierre & Vacances.

The complex, called Edén Binibeca, has an area of 9,005 square meters, is located on San Luis’ (Menorca) waterfront. The property has 150 apartments, three swimming pools and a restaurant, among other areas.

It is Elaia’s first asset in Menorca and its fifth in the Balearic Islands, according to the same source, which has pointed out that the self-financed operation includes the signing of a long-term lease with Pierre & Vacances, which already runs eight of the socimi’s assets.

Elaia, a socimi 66%-owned by Batipart, mainly specialises in tourist accommodations, a sector that accounts for 86% of its portfolio of assets, which is currently made up of two residential buildings in Madrid, six tourist apartment complexes and six hotels.

Original Story: EjePrime

Translation: Richard Turner