Nuveen Acquires a Commercial Premise in Canalejas for €30 Million to House a Branch of Santander

The investment manager has purchased one of the commercial premises in the emblematic Canalejas Complex for around 30 million euros to house a Banco Santander branch.

The investment manager Nuveen Real Estate, with USD 125 billion in assets under management, has purchased one of the commercial premises in the Canalejas Complex, located in the central square of the same name in Madrid, for 30 million euros.

The space will be occupied by a branch of Banco Santander, the entity that sold the seven buildings that make up the project to the Villar Mir family in 2012. The Complex will include the first Four Seasons Hotel in Spain, along with twenty luxury homes and a large shopping arcade, according to reports from El Confidencial.

Read the full article in Spanish.

Intu Denies Any Plans to Sell its Stake in the Intu Xanadú in Madrid

1 November 2019 – Intu Properties has insisted on its long-term commitment to the Intu Xanadú shopping centre, of which it owns 50%. Nuveen, formerly known as TH Real Estate, owns the other 50% and has also stressed its intention to stay on as a long-term investor in the asset.

Intu Xanadú has 204 stores and well-known tenants including El Corte Inglés, Aliexpress Plaza, Zara, Primark, Apple, H&M, Mango, and Decathlon.

Intu acquired the shopping centre two years ago from Ivanhoe Cambridge for €530 million, subsequently selling 50% to Nuveen for €264.4 million.

Original Story: Idealista – P. Martinez-Almeida

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Nuveen Buys Amazon’s Logistics Warehouse in Bilbao for c. €17M

18 September 2019 – Idealista

Nuveen Real Estate (formerly TH Real Estate) has purchased the logistics warehouse that Amazon occupies 10km from the centre of Bilbao for almost €17 million, according to sources close to the operation. Until now, the warehouse had been owned by Vusa, the real estate group led by the heirs of Valeriano Urruticoechea.

The asset has a surface area of 9,000 m2 in total, of which 8,000 m2 is dedicated to storage and almost 1,000 m2 to offices. Amazon has signed a 21-year contract to occupy the property, of which 11 years are mandatory (until 2030).

Amazon started operating from the logistics facility in June. It is a modern platform in terms of its design and construction, suitable for cross-docking and with parking for small vans to serve the last mile distribution market.

This is the third logistics asset that Nuveen has purchased for its European Logistics platform in Spain. It acquired the other two in Madrid and Valencia in 2017.

Nuveen, which is led by Marta Cladera de Codina in Spain, is not only active in the logistics market. It also holds stakes in several shopping centres on the Iberian Peninsula, specifically, Islazul and 50% of Xanadú, as well as in retail parks, including Meixuerio in Vigo.

Nuveen Real Estate is one of the largest investment managers in the world with USD 130,000 million in assets under management.

Original story: Idealista – Custodio Pareja

Translated by: Aura Ree

C&W: Investors Spent €300M on Student Halls in Spain in 2018

25 March 2019 – Eje Prime

Investors galore have set their sights on the market for student halls in Spain. Three major institutional investors, Axa, Invesco and Nuveen, have launched themselves into the construction and management of these types of properties, which they consider are reliable bets that generate high returns.

According to Cushman & Wakefield, investment in student halls in Spain amounted to almost €300 million in 2018. And the consultancy firm expects that figure to be exceeded in 2019.

Spain currently has 1.6 million students, of whom around 15% are potential users of student halls. Nevertheless, the accommodation stock comprises just 95,000 beds, which represents 6% of all matriculated students. As such, there is a lot of potential in the market.

In summary, demand is growing, supply is limited and returns are high, currently averaging 5.25% in Spain. As such, the market has captured the attention of global investors.

Indeed, investors in Spain generally fall into one of two categories: institutional investors with an international profile, such as the three players mentioned above; and European investors specialising in student halls, particularly those from the North of Europe, such as the British firms GSA and Collegiate, the Dutch firm The Student Hotel and the German company Corestate.

Meanwhile, the consultancy firm Savills Aguirre Newman calculates that around twenty major operations could be closed in this segment in 2019, which could result in investment of more than €2 billion over the next few years.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Roger Arnau)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

CPPIB Wants to Acquire 100% of Puerto Venecia & Parque Principado

19 March 2019 – Expansión

Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has emerged as the favourite to acquire the stakes owned by Intu Properties in the Spanish shopping centres Puerto Venecia (Zaragoza) and Parque Principado (Asturias) after the British group announced its plans to sell up in the country.

Intu is contemplating the sale of its 50% stakes in the two complexes, in a deal that could be worth €450 million, with the British group valuing its investments in Puerto Venecia and Parque Principado at €268 million and €161 million, respectively.

CPPIB owns the remaining 50% in both shopping centres and has the right of first refusal if Intu does decide to divest. Preliminary discussions are already underway between the two parties.

Meanwhile, in Madrid, Nuveen could be interested in taking control of the Xanadú shopping centre, which it owns jointly with Intu (50% each).

Original story: Expansión (by R. Casado)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Intu Considers Selling its 4 Shopping Centres in Spain to Pay Off Debt

6 March 2019 – Expansión

The British retail giant, Intu Properties, is considering putting up for sale its real estate assets in Spain in order to pay off some of its debt. The company’s stock market value has plummeted to €2 billion in recent months, and its debt amounts to more than €5 billion, following two unsuccessful takeover bids for the company last year.

The firm has reportedly received expressions of interest for its Spanish portfolio, which is worth €1 billion in total, from several large international investors. The assets in question are Xanadú (Madrid), Puerto Venecia (Zaragoza), Parque Principado (Asturias) and a mega-project currently under construction in Málaga.

No formal sales process has been initiated yet but a number of unsolicited offers have been received. Nevertheless, legal sources state that the firm would have to offer the right of first refusal to its shareholder partners in each case, namely CPPIB in the case of Puerto Venecia and Parque Principado, and Nuveen (previously TH Real Estate) in the case of Xanadú, before opening any sales process to the wider market.

Other potential suitors include Castellana Properties (the firm backed by the South African investor Vukile) and the Slovenian group J&T.

Original story: Expansión (by Roberto Casado & Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake