Tag: Torre Cepsa

Amancio Ortega’s RE Business is Worth Almost €9bn

23 July 2018 – El Mundo

Amancio Ortega is continuing to expand the perimeter of his real estate empire. Pontegadea, the investment arm of the Inditex creator, grew by 2.8% at the end of 2017, to reach almost €9 billion (€8.759 billion) and that, despite the fact that its profits decreased by 13%, to €1.475 billion due to donations made to his foundation.

Pontegadea groups together both Amancio Ortega’s stake in Inditex as well as his real estate investments. According to the accounts filed with the Mercantile Registry of La Coruña, the company closed 2017 with a net profit attributed to the parent company of €1.475 billion, 13% less than a year earlier, due to donations amounting to €350 million made to the Amancio Ortega Foundation, a large proportion of which are devoted to the fight against cancer.

Specifically, the Foundation donated €320 million to the purchase of state-of-the-art cancer equipment, which is going to be installed in public hospitals across all of the autonomous regions.

At the end of last year, the assets of the Pontegadea group were worth €29.028 billion, its net equity amounted to €21.006 billion and its business volume reached €25.721 billion.

In addition to Torre Cepsa, which it purchased for €490 million and the building at Gran Vía 32, Ortega owns several other office buildings in Madrid such as Torre Picasso and the Castellana 79 building, which houses the largest Zara store in the world.

The Zara property portfolio

Meanwhile, Pontegadea Inmobiliaria recorded revenues (primarily due to rental income) of €385 million, up by 13.6% compared to a year earlier, and the fair value of its portfolio of assets, set by an appraiser, was €8.759 billion, up by 2.8% compared to a year earlier.

51% of the real estate revenues come from European markets, 46% from America and the remaining 3% from Asia, according to the annual accounts, which reflect that Pontegadea’s real estate investments amounted to €629 million in 2017 and at the end of the year, they amounted to €6.913 billion: €1.688 billion in Spain and the remaining €5.225 billion overseas.

Of the investments outside of Spain, €2.681 billion correspond to investments in America, €2.191 billion to Europe (excluding Spain) and €353 million to Asia.

Pontegadea Inversiones, the parent company of the Pontegadea group is chaired by Amancio Ortega and its first Vice-President is his wife, Flora Pérez.

In addition, the company’s directors include José Arnau, who is also a director of Inditex, and Roberto Cibeira, in turn, the CEO of Pontegadea Inmobiliaria.

The Inditex group, owner of fashion chains such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, recorded a net profit of €3.368 billion in the last financial year (which closed in January), up by 6.7% compared to a year earlier, and its sales amounted to €25.336 billion, up by 8.7%.

Original story: El Mundo 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Pontegadea Segregates its RE Rental Activity in Spain

2 January 2017 – Eje Prime

Pontegadea, the real estate investment vehicle owned by Amancio Ortega (pictured below) is starting the year by reorganising its business. The company has segregated its property rental activity in Spain into the company Torre Norte España, now Pontegadea España, which has also increased its share capital by €100 million.

According to a statement published in the Official Gazette of the Mercantile Registry (Borme) on Tuesday, the new real estate subsidiary will group together most of Ortega’s assets in Spain, worth more than €1.6 billion. The portfolio includes Torre Cepsa, designed by the architect Norman Foster.

Specifically, Pontegadea will own Pontegadea España as a subsidiary. The founder of Inditex will unify almost all of his real estate business in the Spanish market into that company.

In parallel to this asset reorganisation, the company Partler 2006, which sits under the umbrella of the Pontegadea group and which owns 9.284% of Inditex, has merged by absorption with RL30 Inversiones, owner of the building on Gran Vía, 32, which is home to one of the largest Primark stores in Europe.

The reorganisation of the Inditex founder’s real estate assets is a formal matter from a legal point of view with the aim of simplifying its structure that has been based on rapid growth, according to Europa Press.

Pontegadea Inmobiliaria already owns specific companies in the other countries in which it has a presence, such as in the USA, France, the UK and Korea, which group together the real estate activities of the founder of the textile giant in each case.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Amancio Ortega Creates RE Subsidiary In Spain With Assets Worth €1,600M+

13 November 2017 – El Confidencial

Pontegadea, the investment vehicle owned by the founder of Inditex, Amancio Ortega (pictured below), has created a real estate subsidiary in Spain to group together its local assets, which have a combined value of more than €1,600 million. The assets include Torre Cepsa, designed by the architect Norman Foster and acquired at the end of 2016 for €490 million and the building at Gran Vía, 32, which is home to one of the largest Primark stores in Europe, and which was purchased at the beginning of 2015 for €400 million.

Specifically, Pontegadea Inmobiliaria, which closed 2016 with real estate assets worth more than €6,700 million, will have a new subsidiary, in the form of Pontegadea España, a company in which Ortega will group together his real estate business in the Spanish market.

Sources close to the deal have explained to Europa Press that Pontegadea Inmobiliaria already has specific companies in many of the countries in which it operates, such as in the USA, France, United Kingdom and Korea, to hold the real estate activity of the textile giant’s founder in each respective territory.

It is about having a “more homogenous” structure in all of the markets in which Pontegadea Inmobiliaria operates (…). In fact, according to the same sources, there was no need to constitute a company for this activity in the Spanish market, given that Pontegadea already had one, Torre Norte Castellana, owner of Torre Cepsa, acquired at the end of last year. As such, it has only had to change the name of that entity to Pontegadea España, and add the leasing of real estate assets in Spain to its activity, according to the Official Gazette of the Mercantile Registry (Borme).

Torre Cepsa, Gran Vía 32 and Torre Picasso

In addition to Torre Cepsa (…) and Gran Vía, 32, Ortega owns several other buildings in Madrid, such as Torre Picasso and the Castella 79 building, which houses the largest Zara store in the world.

The founder and largest shareholder of Inditex has received revenues of €1,256 million this year in the form of dividends from Pontegadea, through the companies Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler (through which he controls a 59.294% stake in Inditex), compared with €1,108 million in 2016.

Ortega closed 2016 with real estate assets worth €6,719 million, which represents €661 million more than a year before, grouped together into his company Pontegadea Inmobiliaira, which has net assets worth €6,485 million, up from the €5,460 million that it held a year earlier. Ortega, who invests some of the dividends he receives from Inditex in the real estate sector, owns the largest real estate company in Spain, focusing on the sale, purchase and rental of large buildings. The firm owns a portfolio of real estate assets, fundamentally comprising non-residential, office buildings located in the centre of large cities in Spain, the United Kingdom, the USA and Asia.

Original story: El Confidencial

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rents In Azca’s Towers Exceed Those In The Cuatro Torres

12 September 2017 – El Economista

The Cuatro Torres skyscrapers, to the north of Madrid, are no longer casting a shadow over Azca, which is establishing itself as the iconic business district in the city. With views overlooking the Paseo de la Castellana and just a stone’s throw from the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the Nuevos Ministerios transport hub, this business centre has managed to renew itself, to avoid being left behind compared with other areas of Madrid. So much so, that the rents for its recently renovated skyscrapers are 16.6% higher per square metre than the most expensive space in the Cuatro Torres, to the north of the city.

Castellana 81, the historical headquarters of BBVA, leads the ranking in terms of rental prices in Madrid, given that its empty space is being marketed for between €27 and €35 per square metre per month. This tower, designed by the prestigious architect Sáenz de Oiza, has been subjected to a comprehensive renovation by its owner, the Socimi GMP, which spent €30 million renovating one of its most iconic properties in Azca and on Madrid’s skyline.

The asset, which became a multi-tenant property when it first came onto the market, has already managed to conquer new companies following the departure of the banking entity, which moved to its own financial city, in Las Tablas, to the north of Madrid. Thus, in the last few months, rental contracts have been signed with Teka and Hays.

At the forefront of design

Castellana 77, which is also owned by the Montoro family’s real estate company and the Singapore sovereign fund, GIC, has been the subject of another of the major renovation projects that has been carried out in Azca and which has positioned the business district at the forefront of design. Its façade is covered with slats that protect it from direct sunlight and which are lit up at night in a diverse range of colours.

The tenant that decides to lease the office space in this building, which spans 16,200 m2 over 18 floors, will be able to choose the colour of the tower, which has more than 200 parking spaces as well as charging points for electric cars. With these features, this property has the second highest rents in Azca, which range between €28 and €33 per square metre per month.

And it is followed closely by Torre Europa, which housed the headquarters of the professional services firm KPMG for many years. Following the move of that consultancy firm to the Cuatro Torres, the tower has been renovated to turn it into the first intelligent and connected office building in Spain. Infinorsa, the majority owner of this skyscraper, which overlooks the Santiago Bernabéu, has invested €20 million on a facelift of the façade, which had not been changed for 30 years, and above all, on the renovation of the interior, which has given a radical about-turn to the essence of this 121m-tall tower (…).

Rents in this tower now range between €27 and €32 per square metre per month. Its renovation has already captivated one of the large international law firms, Freshfields (…). The US firm AOL has also decided to move its Spanish corporate headquarters to Torre Europa, as well as a pharmaceutical company (…).

Torre Picasso, the tallest skyscraper in Azca, at 156m, has not undergone such a comprehensive renovation as its neighbours, but following the departure of the consultancy firm EY to Torre Titania, 15,000 m2 of space there was left vacant. Some of that space in the tower owned by Pontegadea – the investment arm of Amancio Ortega – will be leased to Deloitte, which will thereby become its largest tenant. After several improvements to the property, the highest floors are now being marketed for €31/m2/month (…).

Rents in the Cuatro Torres barely reach €30/m2/month

Nevertheless, in the new financial district located in the north of Madrid and known as Las Cuatro Torres, only one of the towers manages to charge a rent of €30/m2/month, even though the buildings are much younger, given that they were inaugurated between the years 2008 and 2009.

Office space in Torre Espacio ranges between €29 and €30 per square metre per month. The Philippine group Emperador, which owns this skyscraper (…) renewed the image of the tower at the end of last year and launched a new marketing plan with the aim of finding tenants for the 8,800 m2 that were vacant in the building at that time.

Next in the ranking is Torre Cepsa, for which Amancio Ortega (…) paid €490 million last year. It is occupied almost in its entirety by the oil and gas company whose name it bears; the cost of the 15,000 m2 of space that is available ranges between €23 and €28 per square metre per month.

Meanwhile, Torre de Cristal, the tallest skyscraper in Spain, at 210m, is the most affordable of its neighbours, since its available space is being marketed for between €25 and €27 per square metre per month. Last year, KPMG left the Azca area and moved to this property, where it leases around 23,000 m2 (…).

Next door is Torre PwC, leased to the consultancy firm whose name it bears and the five-star hotel Eurostars. Its owner is the Socimi Merlin Properties (…) and PwC reportedly pays €19/m2/month.

The Cuatro Torres complex is now getting ready to receive a fifth tower, Torre Caleido. That property, which is currently being constructed (…), will be leased to IE Business School and Grupo Quirón-Salud (…), who will reportedly pay between €15 and €18 per square metre per month (…).

Original story: El Economista (by Alba Brualla)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Amancio Ortega Earned €72M From His Property Portfolio In 2016

24 July 2017 – Expansión

A portfolio worth €6,719 million containing assets spread over markets as diverse as Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom and Korea. That summarises the real estate activity of Amancio Ortega, founder and majority shareholder of the textile giant Inditex.

The fourth richest man in the world (exceeded in the ranking only by Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos), with a fortune worth $80,400 million according to Forbes, has allocated most of the revenues obtained from the annual dividend he has received from Inditex for the last two decades, to creating one of the largest personal real estate portfolios in the world. Through his firm Pontegadea Inmobiliaria, Ortega has acquired buildings, primarily offices and retail premises, located in a multitude of markets.

Acquisitions

In 2016, Ortega starred in the largest purchase of an office building in Spain, by paying €490 million for Torre Foster, one of the skyscrapers that forms part of the Cuatro Torres de la Castellana complex in Madrid. Months before, Pontegadea Inmobiliaria made its debut in South Korea when it acquired the M Plaza commercial complex. For both properties, Ortega’s company spent €662 million in total, according to the most recent results presented by the company.

Also in 2016, Inditex’s largest shareholder spent around €129 million on a building in San Francisco (USA).

These investments allowed Pontegadea Inmobiliaria to increase its total asset volume by €661 million in 12 months. At the end of 2016, the company owned net assets worth €6,475 million, up by €373 million compared to the previous year.

Despite this increase in assets, Pontegadea’s revenues and profits decreased last year. Revenues amounted to €120 million, compared to €129 million in 2015. Nevertheless, the gross operating profit rose slightly in 2016 to €102 million, compared with €101 million a year earlier. Last year, Pontegadea’s profit amounted to €72 million, down by 30%. The company attributes this decrease (the second consecutive fall, given that it earned €182 million in 2014) to “currency fluctuations”, which “generated negative exchange rate differences of €19 million, concentrated primarily in the variation of the value of the pound sterling”.

The British real estate market is one of Pontegadea’s favourite destinations. In London alone, Ortega’s property arm has invested at least €3,000 million. Some of its properties include Rio Tinto’s headquarters, acquired for €335 million in 2015 and Devonshire House, for which it paid €480 million in 2013. In March, Pontegadea covered a €114 million capital increase of its British subsidiary (Pontegadea UK).

In Spain, in addition to Torre Foster, also known as Torre Cepsa thanks to its tenant, Pontegadea also owns Torre Picasso, Gran Vía 32 and several buildings along La Castellana.

Pontegadea Inversiones

Ortega’s property arm forms part of the business conglomerate that the founder of Inditex has controlled for several years through Pontegadea Inversiones. That company, which groups together its majority stake in the textile group (59.29% in total), recorded revenues of €23,649 million in 2016, compared with €21,234 million a year earlier. Last year, the company’s profit amounted to €3,277 million, up by 8.3% compared to the previous year.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Spain’s RE Sector Enjoys A Flurry Of Operations

24 November 2016 – Expansión

The real estate sector continues to celebrate. Investors are still very much interested in Spain and real estate operations continue to be signed. The office sector is still one of the major stars of the recovery, along with shopping centres, thanks to the boost from domestic and international investors and fund managers alike.

The increase in liquidity, together with the lack of profitable alternatives – such as the bond market – and the volatility of the global stock markets, have generated a great deal of interest in the sector and the experts predict that, with the resolution of the political deadlock now behind us, several pending operations will likely close within the next few months.

Although the experts forecast a decrease in investment in the sector, after a record year in 2015, large-scale operations, such as Amancio Ortega’s purchase of Torre Cepsa, are a sign of the good health that the sector is enjoying.

The Socimis continue to be one of the most important players, as evidenced by: the agreement reached between Merlin and the shareholder banks of Metrovacesa, for the merger of the two companies; the entry of the real estate company Colonial into the share capital of Axiare; and the decision taken by the US fund Pimco to strengthen its position in Lar España, taking it to almost 20%, according to the latest records from the CNMV.

Besides the activity in the tertiary asset market, the residential market is also enjoying a revival. In this sense, yesterday, the property developer Dospuntos, owned by the fund Värde, announced the launch of its first real estate development in Spain, with 62 homes in A Coruña. This move forms part of the company’s plan to invest €2,000 million in the country over the next six years.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Gas Natural Sells Its HQ In Madrid To IBA Capital For €120M

24 November 2016 – Expansión

Gas Natural has had a change of heart in its strategy to sell its real estate jewels in Madrid. The firm chaired by Isidro Fainé, which engaged the real estate consultants CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield in the summer to sell its main real estate assets in the capital, has decided to divide up its batch of four properties and sell the most sought after asset, located on Avenida de San Luis, in a separate transaction.

In this sense, the energy company has reached an agreement with IBA Capital, through its Socimi Zambal, to sell its headquarters in the capital located on Avenida de San Luis 77. The transaction will be completed within the next few days for around €120 million, once the bureaucratic procedures have been completed.

The firm has opted for the sale & leaseback formula, involving the sale of the property and its subsequent lease for a period of ten years.

The real estate fund manager, which purchased Vodafone España’s headquarters in Madrid just over a year ago, has knocked out the Spanish real estate and investment manager, Drago Capital, from the process, which until now was the favourite candidate for taking over Gas Natural’s buildings in Madrid. Drago Capital, which has been in exclusive negotiations with the energy firm for several weeks regarding the purchase, was unable to complete the operation as it failed to obtain financing from the banks.

In terms of the rest of the buildings up for sale – one property on Avenida de América 38; the Acanto 11 complex; and the Antonio López complex, on Antonio López 193– , the company has decided to reopen the process and invite those investors who expressed interest in the initial process to participate. Besides Drago Capital, the finalists also included Henderson Park and Has Capital.

In total, the combined surface area of the four complexes amounts to 57,000 m2. In addition, this asset portfolio includes 1,695 parking spaces. Specifically, Gas Natural’s headquarters on Avenida de San Luis 77 has a surface area of almost 32,000 m2, which is dedicated to office space. With this operation, Gas Natural is taking advantage of the real estate sector’s current strong performance to generate value from its properties and earn some cash, without having to move its staff by remaining as the tenant.

The office market in Madrid and Barcelona has heated up a lot in recent months due to the shortage of high quality products in good locations. During the first three quarters of this year, investment in the office market amounted to €2,200 million, according to data from Aguirre Newman.

Gas Natural’s approach is in line with that of some of its rivals, which have also opted to divest their real estate investments. For example, Torre Cepsa, located in the Cuatro Torres complex in Madrid, was sold to Amancio Ortega’s investment vehicle, Pontegadea, two months ago for €490 million. Meanwhile, Endesa’s headquarters in the capital is owned by the Socimi Merlin and Iberdrola’s head office in Bilbao is partly owned by Kutxabank.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo & M. Á. Patiño)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Drago Finalises Purchase Of Gas Natural’s RE Jewels

7 November 2016 – Expansión

The investment firm Drago Capital, together with the Canadian pension fund manager PSP Investments, has emerged as the clear candidate to acquire the real estate jewels of Gas Natural Fenosa in Madrid. The firm is now holding exclusive negotiations with the energy company to put the finishing touches to a deal that is likely to close within the next few weeks.

According to market sources, the offer from the Spanish real estate vehicle manager, which was presented as part of a consortium with the Canadian fund, has supplanted those submitted by the other suitors also interested in the assets.

The operation values the energy company’s assets in Spain’s capital at just over €300 million, which means that this will be the largest sale and leaseback transaction (sale to a third party and subsequent rental of the property) since 2010.

The firm chaired by Isidro Fainé engaged the real estate consultancy firms CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield in the summer to sell its main real estate assets in Madrid. This process sparked interest amongst private equity funds and investors alike, both at home and overseas.

Other candidates

Specifically, in addition to Drago, the investors Iba Capital, Henderson Park and a family office participated in the bidding until the latest round. Has Capital, which had also expressed its interest in Gas Natural’s properties, withdrew at the last minute as it was unable to raise financing.

The assets up for sale are: the group’s headquarters in Madrid, located on Avenida de San Luis 77; a property on Avenida de América 38; the Acanto complex, at number 11 on the same street; and the Antonio López complex on Calle Antonio López 193.

Altogether, the global surface area of the four complexes amounts to 57,000 m2. In addition, the portfolio of assets includes 1,695 parking spaces. (…) .

Gas Natural’s move comes at a time when its competitors are also divesting their real estate assets.

Specifically, Torre Cepsa – one of the Cuatro Torres in Madrid – was acquired just two months ago by Pontegadea. That purchase – the largest ever undertaken by Amancio Ortega’s investment vehicle – was completed in September and saw the founder and largest shareholder of Inditex spend €490 million.

Meanwhile, Endesa’s headquarters in the capital is owned by Merlin; and Iberdrola’s headquarters in Bilbao is partially owned by Kutxabank.

Repsol still owns its headquarters in Madrid, in Méndez Álvaro, however, there has been speculation that the oil company may sell the asset. (…).

According to the consultancy JLL, real estate investment in the office segment is expected to exceed €2,400 million in 2016. That figure falls below the record €3,170 million achieved last year due to the limited supply of high quality products. During the first nine months of 2016, investment in offices amounted to €1,572 million, with Madrid accounting for the vast majority of that figure (€1,150 million).

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo & M. A. Patiño)

Translation: Carmel Drake

CBRE: RE Inv’t Amounted To €6,191M In YTD Sept 2016

3 October 2016 – Expansión

After two years of record breaking figures, the Spanish real estate sector is heading into the final stretch of the year with more modest forecasts. According to a report prepared by the real estate consultancy CBRE, investors spent €6,191 million buying real estate assets during the first nine months of 2016. That figure represents a 21% decrease compared to last year and is 11% lower than the level recorded during the same period in 2014.

Nevertheless, the amount has been very well received in the sector, given that the last two years have been regarded as “exceptional”. “The trend is still very strong, investors are still putting their faith in the Spanish real estate sector, given the lack of other types of alternative investment options and because real estate in the rest of Europe is very expensive”, said Lola Martínez, Director of Research at CBRE.

This optimism is reflected in the forecasts for the year end close, which are expected to amount to between €8,500 million and €9,000 million. “If we exclude the value of Metrovacesa’s assets to be included in the upcoming merger with Merlin, the year will close in line with the forecasts, thanks to several large-scale operations that are expected to be signed during the last quarter”, said sources at the consultancy firm.

Operations in the pipeline

In this sense, they highlighted Amancio Ortega’s purchase of Torre Cepsa on Friday for €490 million; the sale of the Adequa business park in Las Tablas (Madrid), which the Socimi Merlin will acquire in December for €380 million; and the sale of Edificio España, which the Murcian group Baraka, led by Trinitario Casanova, is due to sign on 15 October, for around €272 million.

Alongside them, experts expect El Corte Inglés to close the sale of its logistics portfolio for between €250 million and €300 million and for Gas Natural to sell several corporate buildings and remain as the tenant (in an operation known as sale & leaseback) for another €200 million.

These five operations alone amount to more than €1,500 million. “If we add up only the transactions that have already been announced, then we reach the forecast figure; and other deals may come up – there is always activity during the final quarter of the year”, said Martínez.

By type of property, commercial assets have taken over the number 1 spot from offices, which traditionally accounted for most of the investment in Spain. “The sales of Adequa and Torre Cepsa mean that the office market is going to make a come back. Nevertheless, we have just had two years of madness, with the Socimis proving themselves to be particularly active in 2015; now, there are fewer products, and prices are not as attractive for the experts”.

In the case of shopping centres, forecast indicate a slightly lower volume than recorded in 2015, despite the signing of major operations such as the purchase of Diagonal Mar in Barcelona, for around €500 million by Deutsche Bank and the acquisition by the Socimi Lar of Gran Vía de Vigo for €141 million.

In the case of the logistics business, “until the first half of the year, it was the best performing segment compared with 2015, but, it lost strength to the commercial segment during the third quarter. Nevertheless, operations such as the sale by El Corte Inglés will help it recover”.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Ortega Acquires Torre Cepsa For €490M

3 October 2016 – La Opinión A Coruña

On Friday, the founder of Inditex, Amancio Ortega, completed the acquisition of Torre Cepsa in Madrid, for around €490 million, according to sources close to the operation. Ortega submitted his offer through his real estate company Pontegadea to IPIC, the Abu Dhabi state fund, owner of the oil and gas company Cepsa, which has leased the property, owned until now by Bankia, since 2013.

The building, one of the four towers in the north of Paseo de la Castellana, has a surface area measuring more than 109,000 sqm, including offices covering a gross leasable area of 56,250 sqm and a five-storey car park measuring 37,500 sqm.

The operation was completed in two phases. In the first phase, Khadem Al Qubaisi, the former director general of IPIC, exercised his purchase option, worth around €400 million to acquire the building. He then immediately sold the property onto Pontegadea for €490 million.

In October 2013, Bankia signed an agreement to lease the tower, designed by Norman Foster, which houses the corporate headquarters of Cepsa. The contract had an eight-year term, extendable for another seven years on a year by year basis. But it included a future purchase option, which the tenant had the right to exercise for a price to be determined at the time of the operation, on the basis of objective criteria agreed in advance.

As such, Amancio Ortega has acquired his second skyscraper on La Castellana, following his purchase of Torre Picasso, in 2011, for €400 million. The richest man in Spain and the second wealthiest man in the world also owns number 32 on Madrid’s Gran Vía, which makes him the landlord of some of Zara’s key rival brands such as Mango, H&M and Primark.

This purchase expands Ortega’s property portfolio, which used to be worth around €6,000 million – and is now worth more, if only because of the significant income that will result in terms of rental payments -. And the buildings that Pontegadea buys have a clear profile: iconic, historical buildings, dedicated to commercial and office use that can be rented to companies and institutions that are significant because of their size or solvency. The firm has a genuine real estate empire in Madrid, Barcelona and the main capital cities of Europe and the USA, but in recent months, it has also started to set its sights on Asia. (…).

Pontegadea’s bid was most favoured by IPIC even though it was not the highest – it had received others for €530 million – but the fund ruled those out because it preferred the liquidity and seriousness of Ortega’s offer.

Original story: La Opinión A Coruña

Translation: Carmel Drake