Metrovacesa Sells an Office Building Still Under Construction to Axiare

22 November 2017 – Expansión

The real estate company controlled by Santander and BBVA has sold a building, located in Madrid and still under construction, to the Socimi for €30 million.

The Socimi Axiare is continuing to expand its portfolio, whilst its counterpart Colonial is pushing ahead with its plans to buy the company. The group led by Luis López de Herrera Oria has closed the purchase of an office building, located on Calle Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid.

Axiare has paid its former owner, Metrovacesa, €29.7 million for the property, which is still under construction, as reported by the Socimi to Spain’s National Securities and Exchange Commission (CNMV).

The project under construction includes a gross leasable area for offices of 8,652 m2, spread over seven floors, as well as two underground floors, which will contain 261 parking spaces. The construction work on this building is expected to be completed during the last quarter of 2018.

The property forms part of a small real estate portfolio that Metrovacesa held onto after transferring its non-residential buildings to the Socimi Merlin Properties in an operation closed in October 2016. Specifically, this project emerged from the final investment plans of Román Sanahuja, owner and President of Metrovacesa prior to 2008, when the real estate company ended up in the hands of its creditor banks.

Following this purchase, Axiare has a portfolio of assets worth €1.74 billion, dedicated primarily to office buildings. So far this year, the Socimi has purchased seven properties, located in Madrid and Barcelona, for a total investment of €245 million. Similarly, it has assets “in an advanced stage of analysis” worth another €170 million.

On Monday 13 November, Colonial launched a takeover bid  for 100% of Axiare, in an operation worth around €1.4 billion. Before launching the public offer, Colonial, which has been Axiare’s largest shareholder since October 2016 with a 15% stake, increased its shareholding to 28%.

Colonial’s offer boosted Axiare’s share price, which now stands at around €1.453 billion, equivalent to €18.38 per share, compared with the takeover offer price of €18.50.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake