Urban Hubs: The Future Pillars of the Last Mile are Seducing the Real Estate Sector

22 October 2018 – Eje Prime

Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Prologis and Amazon have started to invest in urban hubs. The future pillars of e-commerce logistics are still in an embryonic phase, but the large real estate investors have started to track these types of assets, whereby sparking interest from other players. Forgotten old warehouses and factories (and even office buildings) in inner cities are now seducing these giants, which regard them as the new urban nuclei for handling same-day deliveries, and even, same-hour deliveries, which are demanded by e-commerce nowadays. Spanish investors are already beginning to study opening logistics centres in the heart of Madrid and Barcelona.

The Spanish market is still at the tail of the e-commerce market in Europe, where it represents just 4% of all retail sales, compared with 12% in the United Kingdom and 16% in the United States, according to the ratings agency Moody’s. Nevertheless, experts forecast that e-commerce in Spain, and on the rest of the planet, will continue to make inroads to ultimately account for one third of all retail sales.

This drastic transformation of retail is challenging for the traditional logistics system, comprising regional distribution platforms located away from urban centres that supply different local warehouses to delivery to different businesses. The new system is supported by an e-fulfilment centre (a fully automated platform), which directly supplies several urban hubs located inside cities, which make deliveries to consumers (…).

Blackstone, one of the largest real estate investors in the world, has invested around €4 million in small urban warehouses in Europe since the beginning of 2018. Unlike large warehouses on the outskirts of cities, urban hubs are smaller facilities with a lower risk in terms of their development.

The sovereign Singapore fund, GIC, has also entered the segment. The investment group even has a specific division for building logistics facilities on urban land (…).

Nevertheless, they are difficult assets to find and mould for their new function. On the one hand, because cities have grown and transformed over the last few decades, with housing replacing former industrial land (…). On the other hand, because, these facilities need to be rethought for the constant entry and exit of goods.

The future urban hubs will be built on land still classified as industrial inside cities, which is much cheaper than residential. And, given the difficulty of expanding width-wise due to the lack of land, the plans involve constructing properties with various storeys. In large cities in Asia, where land prices are very high, multi-storey warehouses are already typical.

In addition to industrial land, another option for urban hubs is to use office buildings. To the extent that new business areas in new parts of cities are created, so empty and underused spaces are being left in city centres.

Currently, new technology-based distribution companies, such as Paack and Stuart, are shaking up the market, by accelerating e-commerce deliveries using logarithmic calculations. Meanwhile, traditional express transport companies, such as Seur and MRW, amongst others, have also started to adapt to expedite last mile deliveries with small warehouses in the centre of large cities.

Small signs in Spain

Sources in the real estate sector indicate that some investors specialising in retail have started to study the implementation of these types of logistics structure to complement the flagship stores in the centre of Madrid. Specifically, some players have started to analyse the option of installing urban hubs in office buildings.

In Barcelona, we have already seen one case along those lines. In 2016, Amazon opened a warehouse in the former headquarters of the publishing house Gustavo Gili, on Calle Rosselló in the El Eixample neighbourhood, to introduce its Prime Now service offering deliveries within the hour. Nevertheless, sources in the sector indicate that Amazon may have started to question the suitability of that platform since it has not managed to make the prices of the urban land profitable (…).

Aitor Martínez, Head of Industrial & Logistic are Savills Aguirre Newman, points out that in some cities, such as London and Málaga, pilot tests are being carried out regarding deliveries of the future. A common denominator in all of them are the urban hubs. In the logistics of the future, these new logistical nuclei, will not only speed up deliveries, but they will also respond to other challenges in the sector, such as the introduction of greater restrictions over the entry of vehicles into city centres and the prohibition of polluting vehicles from the roads (…).

Original story: Eje Prime (by S. Riera & P. Riaño)

Translation: Carmel Drake

CBRE: Investor Interest in High Street Stores Skyrockets

5 July 2018 – Cinco Días

Stores on the most commercial streets of Spain have become an object of desire for investors in the real estate market. Large funds and insurance companies alike are investing in these types of assets and experts predict that a new record is going to be set in the segment this year.

Investors are expected to spend around €1.1 billion on these types of commercial premises in 2018, according to forecasts from the consultancy CBRE. That figure would exceed the amount invested in high street stores in 2017 by €300 million, equivalent to a growth rate of 36.9%. Of interest are shops on commercial thoroughfares such as c/Preciados and c/Serrano in Madrid and Paseo de Gracia and Portal de l’Àngel in Barcelona. In fact, those two cities accounted for 79% of total investment last year. “Nevertheless, other cities in Spain are on the rise and there is growing demand for investment products in cities such as Bilbao, Valencia, Sevilla and Málaga”, according to the report “The Keys to Retail in Spain”, published by CBRE yesterday.

Investors regard these types of well-located assets as a good option for placing their money, a solid alternative in the context of low-interest rates and because these high street stores perform better (than other commercial assets) in the face of competition from online retailers. Currently, according to CBRE; the returns on these properties amount to 3.5% in Barcelona and to 3.25% in Madrid; in other cities (with more risk), the returns are greater.

The stars of these acquisitions are mainly the large funds. Hines, M&G, AEW, Thor, Union Investment, CBRE GI and Deka. “In 2017, in addition, an insurance company entered the high street sector for the first time: Generali acquired the Pull & Bear store on Calle Preciados in Madrid”, according to the report. Other active players include the Socimis, such as Tander, Ores, and Silicius, which have started to express interest.

In terms of large operations so far this year, in January, the German fund Deka acquired 16 Inditex stores for €400 million. Another significant operation was the acquisition of Mercado de San Miguel by the Dutch fund Redevco, for €70 million.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Alfonso Simón Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Grosvenor Backs the Rental Sector in Spain & Formalises its First Purchases in Madrid

1 June 2018 – Eje Prime

Grosvenor is betting on a business that is on the rise in Spain: the residential rental market. The group, which is going to spend €200 million on its growth plans in the country between now and 2022, as Eje Prime revealed, has recently acquired a building on Calle Rey Francisco, in the Madrilenian neighbourhood of Argüelles, which it is going to rent out.

The property in question is a protected building, located in an area that is very close to the university centres, and which the company hopes to renovate to create rental homes and convert the existing commercial premises into common areas, according to Expansión. In total, the building will have 23 homes, some of which are currently let out under the old rent system, whose tenants will be maintained by the British real estate company.

To give continuity to its business in Spain, Grosvenor will allocate more than €200 million to purchases, together with the Malaysian group Amprop, with which it has created a joint venture in the country. The group’s objective is to double its asset portfolio between now and 2022, according to James Raynor, CEO of Grosvenor, speaking to Eje Prime in an interview.

Grosvenor’s most ambitious plans in Spain include new purchases. The group, which has an office in Madrid and employs eight people in the country, has increased its investment capacity through its joint venture company with Amprop, created last year to build luxury apartments in Madrid, to €200 million.

The objective of the alliance with Amcorp is to back value-added investments, whereby assuming the associated risk but also receiving higher returns. The two groups have allocated a budget of €70 million for these types of projects, although they have reviewed the numbers thanks to the opportunities on offer in the Spanish market.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

A Family Office Buys a Mixed-Use Building in Centre of Barcelona for €7M

19 April 2018 – Mis Locales

The real estate consultancy firm Laborde Marcet has brokered the sale of a building for more than €7 million in the heart of the El Raval neighbourhood, in the district of Ciutat Vella. The property, located at number 18 Carrer Sant Rafael, has been purchased by a local family office.

Completely renovated, the building comprises five commercial premises and homes spanning around 70 m2 each, most of which are furnished. The average price per square metre exceeds €3,300/m2 and the yield amounts to 3.5%.

Gerard Marcet, founding partner at Laborde Marcet, says that “these types of buildings enjoy the locations, yields and prices that fit perfectly with the objectives of many investors. They are safe assets and so they are not associated with property speculation or very high returns and risk, but rather they are suited to investors who want good stable properties that will generate fixed returns and protect their wealth against future inflation rises, given that the rents are linked to variations in CPI”.

Ciutat Vella, a district that forms part of El Raval, attracts many operations for both the purchase of buildings and the purchase and rental of commercial premises. In fact, a vast proportion of the operations brokered by the Retail team at Laborde Marcet are located in that area of the city. In this way, over the last year, the consultancy firm has advised large brands from the beauty, fashion and restaurant sectors, such as Primor, Visionario, Toni Pons, Aragaza, Celeste, Change Group, ARTEspañol and The Ranch SmokeHouse for the rental of premises in strategic areas of Ciutat Vella.

Original story: Mis Locales

Translation: Carmel Drake

The Owner of Santander’s HQ is Set to Emerge from Bankruptcy

26 January 2018 – Voz Pópuli

There is light at the end of the tunnel in the creditor bankruptcy of Marme Inversiones 2007, the company that owns Banco Santander’s Ciudad Financiera (in Madrid). This week, a key meeting was held to unblock the bankruptcy proceedings, with deliberation over several appeals, something that the courts will come to a decision about over the coming weeks.

The parties potentially interested in this process have started to take positions regarding the possible sale of the Ciudad Financiera, which could happen in the middle of this year. The best-positioned player is the fund AGC Equity Partners, with a proposal that values that bank’s headquarters at between €2.7 billion and €2.8 billion, as this newspaper revealed.

But two competitors have emerged: a consortium formed by Madison Capital, Glenn Maud and GCA; and a proposal from the Iranian-born financier, Robert Tchenguiz, according to financial sources consulted by Vozpópuli.

The offer that most concerns AGC is the one presented by the US funds (Madison and GCA) and the British property magnate Glenn Maud, who was one of the original buyers in 2008. The price that they may put on the table is close to the figure being offered by the Arab fund, around €2.7 billion.

Months of advantage

Nevertheless, AGC is the favourite in the race because it has been negotiating the operation with Santander for several months. Santander is not only the tenant in this case, it also holds a small part of the debt and a right of first refusal. Having said that, the Commercial Court number 9 of Madrid has denied that preferential right until now. Be that as it may, an agreement with Santander would facilitate everything.

Meanwhile, in addition to these two offers, further competition has emerged in the form of Tchenguiz, owner of the company Edgeworth Capital. The Iranian national has been trying to harness his investment in subordinated debt for years. By holding one of the riskiest tranches, he has to make sure that the liquidation plan protects him, otherwise, he will be exposed to discounts. That negative scenario would become a reality with AGC’s liquidation plan.

For this reason, Tchenguiz is offering an insolvency exit plan in which he would become the owner of the Ciudad Financiera by purchasing the stake owned by Glenn Maud.

To complete the picture, we should take into account that beyond the bankruptcy of Marme Inversiones, two other companies in Spain are involved in this insolvency: its two parent companies, Delma and Ramblas. And that those creditors and investors are awaiting trials in the UK and The Netherlands. This complex legal battle is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Original story: Voz Pópuli (by Jorge Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

BBVA Prepares Sale of €1.5bn Property Developer Loan Portfolio

30 November 2017 – Expansión

The property sector / The second largest Spanish bank detects a large appetite from opportunistic funds for the real estate risk it has left over: €4.8 billion, after deconsolidating €13 billion of foreclosed assets.

BBVA is making steady progress to clean up its balance sheet. The entity is preparing the sale of a portfolio of property developer loans with a gross value of between €1.5 billion and €1.6 billion (31% of the total) after deconsolidating the risk associated with its foreclosed assets.

The group’s gross real estate exposure has been reduced to €4.8 billion in the form of property developer loans following the agreement with Cerberus to transfer €13 billion in foreclosed assets to a newly created company. BBVA’s plan is to sell one-third of its property developer loan portfolio to an opportunistic fund.

“It is going to be a very competitive portfolio”, said Javier Rodríguez Soler, Head of Strategy and M&A at BBVA, speaking to Expansión. In parallel to the operation with Cerberus, the bank has identified a large appetite from the big funds, such as Lone Star, Blackstone and Apollo, for loans linked to the property sector. The portfolio comprises finishing buildings, properties under construction and land.

Transfers to its subsidiary

The intention of BBVA is to reduce its risk estate risk to almost zero. The Head of Strategy said that the bank is looking to transfer another €1.5 billion of performing property developer loans to its Spanish subsidiary.

Many banks separated out their real estate businesses to curb the impact of the fallout from the burst of the bubble on their annual accounts. BBVA’s property unit lost €281 million during the 9 months to September this year, down by 10.9% compared to a year ago. Sources at the entity expect the real estate business to stop generating losses in 2018.

Yesterday, BBVA took a giant step to clean up its real estate-related risk. The bank has created a company together with Cerberus to transfer 78,000 properties with a gross value of €13 billion. 47% of the foreclosed assets are located in Cataluña, the historical heartland of Catalunya Caixa (CX) and Unnim, which were both absorbed by BBVA during the crisis. Some of those properties are social housing units, whilst some of those proceeding from Unnim are covered by an Asset Protection Scheme (EPA).

The US fund will own 80% of the new vehicle after paying BBVA €4 billion; the banking entity will own the remaining 20%. Haya Real Estate, Cerberus’s platform in Spain, will manage the portfolio of properties that the bank holds onto. The agreement also involves the transfer of 400 employees from Anida, the real estate arm of BBVA, to the joint company with Cerberus.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Sampedro and R. Lander)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Andbank Launches Fund To Invest In Galician Real Estate

13 November 2017 – La Voz de Galicia

(…) The real estate market in Spain is back with a vengeance, above all in the central areas of large cities where, due to a lack of (past) activity in the property development sector, there is now insufficient supply to cover the growing demand (…).

And this business opportunity has not passed unnoticed for the financial sector, which, in an environment of low-interest rates and minimal profitability on the most conservative products, has launched a series of investment vehicle. Their objective is to buy buildings in prime areas, renovate them and then sell the resulting homes on to individuals, whereby generating high returns for investors.

This model, which was first tested, successfully, in Madrid and Barcelona, is now being introduced in Galicia, with the help of Andbank. The entity, specialising in private banking, has launched a real estate investment vehicle, Seagull Real Estate, which is going to acquire residential buildings in the central areas of A Coruña and Vigo, undertake comprehensive renovation work and then sell the homes (individually, in order to maximise prices).

According to Rubén Casales (pictured above), Director of Andbank’s branch in A Coruña, this is the first product that focuses exclusively on the Galician market, and it is being born with the objective of securing investment of €20 million (minimum of €250,000), which it will use to perform between five and ten operations, given that in order to minimise risk, external financing should not exceed 50%.

The appeal of this product for savers is an expected return of 14%, well above the yields they can expect to achieve on fixed income and other conservative products and, which Casales justifies due to the illiquidity of the fund, which obliges investors to maintain their investment for at least five years.

For the execution of this project, Andback has teamed up with two local partners: Ünique Singular Properties and Desarrolla. The first is the only Galician real estate agency specialising in prime residential assets and is the market leader in unique properties; it will help identify investment opportunities and will be responsible for selling the homes once they have been renovated. The second is a construction company known for its renovation work and with a great deal of activity in the autonomous region, which will take care of giving the properties a facelift.

More than 50 properties

According to Andbank, there are lots of investment opportunities: “We have identified some very interesting buildings due to their architectural uniqueness”, says Luis Touriño, territorial director of the entity in Galicia. (…). The bank currently has a team of eight people analysing more than fifty properties, of which between eight and ten will be selected.

Casales explains that the response from investors is proving positive, and so they hope to be able to launch the vehicle before the end of the year (…).

The launch of this fund is another sign of the investor interest in the Galician real estate sector, which, although somewhat lagging behind other parts of Spain, has resumed its upwards path. This news follows the announcement by a group of Galician real estate companies linked to the trade association Fegein that they are going to create a Socimi, which will manage assets in Vigo, Santiago and the north of Lugo, and which seeks to trade on the MAB.

Original story: La Voz de Galicia (by Gabriel Lemos)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Apollo Warns Of Slowdown In Investment Activity In Cataluña

19 October 2017 – Expansión

Andrés Rubio, Head of Europe for Apollo Global Management, one of the largest funds in the world and one of the most active in Spain, has said in London that the Catalan crisis “is not good” for Spain or for Cataluña and that investors are already taking into account the risk caused by the political instability.

At a conference organised by EY and the Spanish Association of Capital, Growth and Investment (Ascri) in the British capital, Rubio explained that “Spain is a model country in Europe for how it has dealt with the (financial) crisis and for the reforms that it has undertaken, above all in the employment, taxation and banking fields”. Nevertheless, “what we are seeing now is not good at all, either for Spain or for Cataluña”, he said. “Any investor looking at Cataluña now is analysing the risk”, explained Rubio, who acknowledges that he has seen a sharp slowdown in the market. “There is less activity in Cataluña now than there was a month ago, that’s for sure”.

Apollo Global Management has been one of the funds that has invested the most in Spain in recent years. Since it decided to back the Spanish market at the height of the (financial) crisis, it has invested around €1,000 million. Its main assets include an 85% stake in Altamira Real Estate, a real estate manager purchased from Banco Santander in November 2013 for €664 million, and Evo Banc, which it acquired from Nova Caixa Galicia for €60 million. It also owns a portfolio of hotels purchased from La Caixa and it wants to grow further in that segment.

Funds

Rubio’s comments echo the opinion of the other major funds meeting in London to analyse investment opportunities in Spain. Many expressed their concern for the situation in Cataluña and said that it may affect their investment decisions over the medium term. “Uncertainty is never good”, said Fernando Chueca, Director at Carlyle. “Nobody likes instability”, explained Nader Sabaqqian, from 360 Capital Partners, a technological fund that currently holds investments in two companies headquartered in Barcelona – Xceed and 21 Buttons – and which wants to make more purchases in Spain.

Above all, investors fear the political instability that may be created within the central Government, as well as the social discontent that is growing in Cataluña as the political tension rises. The heads of most of the large funds with interests in Spain say that, for the time being, they are not going to take any drastic decisions, but if the uncertainty continues, they will have to start to take action. “International investments have been suspended in Cataluña for a year now”, said another director.

Rubio, who is a Spanish citizen, but who was raised in New York, praised the clean up of the Spanish banking system during his speech at the conference. He explained that the sector has seen a reduction in the number of banks from 49 to 12 since the start of the crisis. He added that “Spain has a tailwind” and that Apollo is satisfied with the investments it has made. “We believe in Spain and we will continue investing”, he said.

Original story: Expansión (by Amparo Polo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Tecnocasa: Second-Hand House Prices Rose By 12% In Barcelona In H1

6 September 2017 – Expansión

The Spanish real estate recovery varies by neighbourhood. Whilst in smaller cities such as Zaragoza and Sevilla, second-hand house prices rose by 1.7% and 2.1% during the first half of the year, in Madrid and Barcelona, the value per square metre soared at a rate of 7.3% and 12.7%, respectively. On average, in Spain, second-hand house prices rose by 8.24% during H1, according to the latest report from the estate agent Tecnocasa and the Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF).

It is the largest increase registered in a single 6-month period since the price curve hit rock bottom at the end of 2013 and began its recovery with a slight increase of 1.12% at the end of 2014.

At that time, at the height of the real estate depression, the cumulative decrease in second-hand house prices peaked at 57% with respect to 2007. Nowadays, prices are 48.10% below the peaks recorded before the crash. The average value amounted to €3,500/m2 then, compared with €1,811/m2 now.

Despite the dizzying increase in prices currently being seen, there are no signs that a new bubble is being created. The CEO at Tecnocasa, Paolo Boarini, said yesterday that one of the most important factors to take into account is “the new attitude of the banks”. Whilst in 2007, mortgage loans represented 86% of the value of homes on average, that ratio has now decreased to 72%. (…). Moreover, mortgages that exceed the value of the home are no longer being granted, which was not the case during the years leading up to the burst of the bubble.

Tecnocasa’s report points to the ratio between the monthly mortgage instalment and a borrower’s monthly income, which is also one of the most significant risk indicators. To minimise the risk of non-payment, it is recommended that the aforementioned ratio not exceed 35%. At the end of H1 2017, the ratio between the mortgage instalment and the monthly income of mortgage applicants amounted to 25.5%. On average, mortgages in Spain cost around €375 per month (…).

In terms of the bargaining power in the market, according to data from Tecnocasa, the discount made by sellers with respect to the initial price was 2.7% in 2005, a figure that rose to 13.4% in 2012 and that currently stands at around 5.1% (…).

The study performed by Tecnocasa and the UPF is based on data from transactions brokered by the real estate agent itself involving loans advised by Kíron, the financial services company owned by the same group. José García-Montalvo, professor at the UPF and coordinator of the document, stressed that, unlike other reports, this document uses only real prices of actual sales and not the initial asking prices of homes for sale.

The most expensive square metre in Spain’s major cities was located in Barcelona for another half-year, at €2,754/m2, followed by Madrid, at €1,970/m2. The cheapest major cities include Córdoba (€1,009/m2) and Valencia (€893/m2).

Original story: Expansión (by Marisa Anglés)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Tinsa: Residential Land Prices Rose By 4.1% In Málaga In Q2

17 July 2017 – Diario Sur

The housing sector in Málaga is continuing to grow. The price of residential land in the province rose by 4.1% during the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, to reach €1,399/m2, which is €154/m2 higher than the national average, according to data from the appraisal company Tinsa. It represented the highest increase in Andalucía and the sixth highest in Spain as a whole; and it consolidates the upward trend seen over the last two years, a situation that has generated concerns about the possibility that the sector is heading towards a new real estate bubble.

The Director General of the Institute of Business Practice (IPE), José Antonio Pérez, said that, for the time being, the growth is “sustainable”, although he warned that the lack of buildable land on the Costa del Sol to meet the current demand from property developers and investors will limit this trend and may lead to a disproportionate rise in prices in some enclaves. Pérez attributes the lack of supply to “restrictions” imposed by the general urban planning orders in certain municipalities and the slow pace of urban planning procedures. (…).

Tinsa’s report also reveals that the average mortgage granted to Malagan households amounts to €126,815, the seventh most expensive in the country, with a monthly instalment of €592. The percentage of household income spent on paying the first year of a mortgage is 27.6%, almost eight points above the national average (19.9%). The appraisal company highlights that this statistic makes Málaga the province where families spend the highest percentage of their income on mortgage repayments, above the Balearic Islands and Barcelona (21%).

Málaga also leads the list of provinces with the highest number of house sales closed in the last four months, with respect to the size of its housing stock: 32.1 for every 1,000 homes. It was followed by Alicante and the Balearic Islands, which also have “a clear tourist component”, said the report. The appraisal company reminds its readers that the province is home to “a large number of high-end homes” aimed primarily at foreign buyers, which put upward pressure on average house prices.

By contrast, the IPE considers that it is “a mistake” to draw conclusions at the provincial level “because you cannot compare the situation in Villanueva del Trabuco, for example, with that of Marbella”. The institute, which specialises in the real estate sector, highlighted the sea fronts and golden triangle formed by Marbella, Estepona and Benahavís as the areas where demand for residential land is highest, as well as the capital, where Limonar and Valle del Guadalhorce are positioning themselves as the new enclaves for future urban development.

House sales

The Real Estate Pulsometer compiled by IPE confirms that Málaga is seeing one of the strongest recoveries in the sector, together with Madrid, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. Investors, savers, funds and individuals comprise current demand, which caused house sales to grow by 6% last year; and a similar rise is forecast this year. Currently, half of all purchases are paid for in cash and the other half are financed through mortgages (…).

Original story: Diario Sur (by Alberto Gómez)

Translation: Carmel Drake