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9 November 2017 – Expansión
The real estate sector is heading for a new investment record this year and shopping centres are one of the star segments on the rise. Deutsche Bank, which marked a milestone in 2016 with its purchase of Diagonal Mar, wants to strengthen its position in this market and to this end, is negotiating the acquisition of the L’Aljub shopping centre, located in Elche. The operation could be closed for a price of more than €170 million, according to market sources.
L’Aljub is currently owned by the fund Seva (Southern European Value-Add Mandate), managed by TH Real Estate for the investors TPG Real Estate – the real estate platform of the international manager TPG – and Partners Group. The consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield is advising the vendor and CBRE the buyer.
This investment vehicle, which also owns two other retail assets in Italy, has a combined value of €300 million. The three assets were acquired a year ago from TH Real Estate for €250 million.
In addition to the retail and leisure premises, L’Aljub also houses an Eroski hypermarket on the ground floor. TH Real Estate purchased that store from Eroski a month ago through this investment vehicle for €18.7 million.
This investment in L’Aljub includes the hypermarket, which has a surface area of 9,900 m2, as well as the space leased by Primark (4,500 m2) and the gas station (200 m2), operated by Eroski.
The shopping centre was inaugurated in August 2003 and has a surface area of more than 60,000 m2, spread over two floors, as well as an extensive underground car park. The centre is home to 120 stores and 3,200 parking spaces (free of charge). Some of its most high profile operators include Inditex, H&M, Primark, Mango and Cines ABC.
If the negotiations prove fruitful, Deutsche Bank would strengthen its position in the retail segment in Spain. Last year, the company purchased the Diagonal Mar shopping centre (Barcelona) for almost €500 million. After the purchase of Xanadú, that operation was the second largest ever closed in the shopping centre segment.
Investment
Another example of the interest in this type of asset was the purchase of Xanadú by Intu Properties in March for €530 million. Subsequently, the British created a company with TH Real Estate to share ownership of the Madrilenian shopping centre.
Banca March has also decided to back this kind of asset with the purchase of the ABC Serrano shopping centre in Madrid this summer for €130 million, debt included. Meanwhile, Klépierre acquired Nueva Condomina in Murcia for €230 million earlier this year.
In this way, investment in the segment during the 10 months to October amounted to €2,300 million, which suggests a high volume year, behind only the historical maximum, recorded last year, of €2,700 million.
Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)
Translation: Carmel Drake