Tag: Torre Ederra

Spain’s Largest Landlords are Merlin, Colonial, GMP & Mapfre

19 April 2019 – Expansión

Merlin, Colonial, GMP and Mapfre: three Socimis and one insurance company together own 16% of the total office space in Madrid. Blackstone, Realia, Mutua Madrileña, Tristan, Pontegadea and Starwood complete the Top 10 ranking.

According to a report from Deloitte, the ten largest landlords own more than 3.1 million m2 of leasable space in Madrid, out of a total spanning more than 13 million m2 (24%). In Barcelona, there is 6.1 million m2 of leasable space.

Leading the ranking is Merlin, which owns 7% of the total stock in Madrid and more than 3% in Barcelona. Its 140-strong office portfolio is worth €5.5 billion and accounts for 45% of its total assets. The Socimi’s tenants include BBVA, Endesa, Inditex and PwC, and its star assets include Torre PwC in Madrid and Torre Glòries in Barcelona.

Behind Merlin is Colonial, which owns 3.8% of the office stock in Madrid and 4.6% in Barcelona (where it is the market leader). Its key assets include the building located on Paseo de la Castellana, 52, two properties on Calle Miguel Ángel (numbers 11 and 23), all in Madrid, and Torre Marenostrum in Barcelona.

Completing the podium is GMP, which owns 2.8% of the gross leasable area in Madrid, including Torre BBVA and Torre Ederra, both in Azca. Meanwhile, the insurance companies Mapfre and Mutua Madrileña own 2.7% and 1.4% of the total stock in the Spanish capital, respectively.

In addition, the funds have strengthened their positions in recent months. The US fund Starwood purchased a portfolio of offices in Madrid and Barcelona from Autonomy for €125 million. It also acquired the San Fernando Business Park, in conjunction with Drago, from Oaktree for €120 million.

The British fund Tristan has also been active, with the acquisition of an office complex on Avenida de Manoteras in 2017 and the purchase of six offices spanning 78,000 m2 from Colonial in 2018 (…).

Original story: Expansión (by R. Arroyo)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Merlin Invests €55M to Reposition its Assets in Azca (Madrid)

24 May 2018 – Expansión

Merlin has launched an ambitious renovation plan for two of its buildings located in the heart of Madrid’s financial district, the Azca complex, one of the capital’s most important commercial and business areas.

Specifically, the Socimi led by Ismael Clemente is going to invest €55 million to refurbish the building located at number 83 and 85 Paseo de la Castellana and another property located in Plaza Ruiz Picasso. The company plans to start the renovation work in 2020.

In the property located at numbers 83 and 85 Paseo de la Castellana, the company is planning a complete renovation of the façade and entrance lobby, which will have a triple height ceiling. Similarly, the refurbishment of the building will include the common areas and other installations.

This building, the current headquarters of Sacyr, has a surface area of 15,254 m2 spread over the ground floor, 11 above ground floors and two underground floors. The aim of the Socimi is to strengthen the space dedicated to retail.

Comprehensive renovation

The Socimi will invest €25 million in that renovation project, which will require almost the entire building to be vacated. “It is one of the best buildings in Madrid and we hope that it will be the doorway to the future reconfigured Azca that we are working on”, said Ismael Clemente, CEO of Merlin, speaking a few days ago at the General Shareholders’ Meeting. In addition, Merlin will invest €30 million to reposition the property in Plaza Ruiz Picasso and to create a building with “the most extensive and best-equipped floor space in all of Azca”.

That asset, which has a surface area of 31,576 m2, will have dual access, from Calle Trías Bertrán and Plaza Ruíz Picasso, and will contain various retail spaces. “This building is almost invisible at the moment but that situation will change after the renovation. The location is crying out for it”, said Clemente.

The director explained that the property has an “exceptional” parking provision for an office building, given that, initially, it was conceived as a shopping centre. Merlin is working with the Spanish architecture studio Fenwick Iribarren to renovate this building (…)

These two buildings owned by Merlin live alongside Torre Titania, the skyscraper owner by El Corte Inglés (…). Meanwhile, Castellana 81 and Torre Ederra, located at number 77 Paseo de la Castellana, are owned by the Socimi GMP; Torre Europe is controlled by Infinorsa; whilst Torre Picasso belongs to Pontegadea, the investment vehicle owned by Amancio Ortega (…).

The Landmark I Plan

The renovation of these two properties forms part of a larger project, the Landmark I Plan, which comprises a total investment of €250 million in office buildings over the next four years.

Within the framework of the Landmark I Plan, Merlin is going to handover Torre Glòries in Barcelona and Torre Chamartín. Over the next few years, the Socimi is also going to renovate the properties located at numbers 38 and 40 Calle Alcalá, Castellana 93, Alfonso XI and Princesa 5-7 in Madrid;  as well as Diagonal 605 in Barcelona; and Monumental and Marqués de Pombal 3 in Lisbon.

“Over the next 12 to 18 months, there is going to be more demand than supply in the market due to the volume of obsolete products. At that point, rents will enjoy a sweet moment, and will move significantly upwards”, say sources at the Socimi.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Snapshot Of The MAB’s Real Estate Companies

4 September 2017 – Expansión

An attractive tax structure and investors’ appetite for real estate assets have led to a veritable flood of Socimi debuts on the stock market in recent years. With the exception of Merlin and Colonial – which form part of the Ibex – and Axiare, Hispania and Lar España – which are listed on the main stock market – the other Socimis trade on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB). In 2013, that market opened a new segment for this type of investment vehicle, which now comprises 40 companies.

To be incorporated, Socimis must have a minimum share capital of €5 million and invest in urban properties allocated for rent. These companies, which must be listed on regulated markets, are exempt from paying Corporation Tax in exchange for fulfilling certain obligations such as the distribution of dividends in a systematic way.

The first Socimi to debut on the MAB was Entrecampos Cuatro. That company, constituted in 2004 as a merger of several companies from the Segura Rodríguez family group, was responsible for firing the Socimi-starting gun on the MAB in November 2013.

The 40 Socimis now listed on the MAB have a combined market capitalisation of more than €7,000 million and comprise a very heterogeneous group both in terms of size, as well as by specialisation and category. The companies range from family groups to institutions (with one fund or professional investor holding a stake) to publicly owned entities (with numerous shareholders).

Of the Socimis currently listed on the MAB, the largest by a long way is General de Galerías Comerciales (GGC). That Socimi, which currently has a market capitalisation of €2,547 million, debuted on the stock market in July and, despite its size, is controlled almost in its entirety by a single shareholder, the Murcian businessman Tomás Olivo. GGC is exceeded in terms of market capitalisation only by Merlin and Colonial.

GGC is followed by the Montoro family’s real estate firm GMP, in which the fund Singapore GIC owns a 30% stake. That company currently holds 27 properties in its portfolio, including several iconic buildings, such as the historical Torre BBVA (renamed Castellana 81 due to its location) and a few metres away, Castellana 77 (also known as Torre Ederra). Other large listed Socimis include Zambal, the Socimi managed by IBA Capital, with investments in offices and commercial assets; and Bay, the Socimi owned by Hispania and Barceló. The latter, which focuses on the tourist sector, held 21 assets with a gross value of €790 million at the end of last year and since then has purchased another three assets: Hotel Selomar in Benidorm for almost €16 million; Hotel Fergus Tobago in Palmanova for €20 million; and the Armadores de Puerto Rico company for €6 million.

Shopping centres are also present on the MAB. In this way, for example, Intu owns two listed shopping centres: the Socimi Asturias Retail & Leisure, owner of the Intu Asturias shopping centre (previously Parque Principado), which has a total approximate surface area of 75,000 m2; and Zaragoza Properties, owner of Puerto Venecia Shopping Resort, in Zaragoza, with a surface area of more than 200,000 m2.

Another example is the Socimi Heref Habaneras, which owns the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja (Alicante).

Residential market

One of the investment segments that has gained weight amongst the specialist Socimis in recent times is the residential market. Specifically, the private equity fund Blackstone has two listed Socimis. The largest, Fidere, debuted on the stock market in June 2015 with an asset value of €304.3 million and a portfolio of 2,688 social housing properties for let purchased during the crisis.

Moreover, the fund listed another Socimi on the stock market in March, Albirana Properties, which owns more than 5,000 assets spread all over Spain, most of which are rental homes (….).

A few weeks ago, the MAB introduced a modification to its rules to tighten up the access requirements for new Socimis. This change, which came into force in August, requires Socimis to have minority shareholders in their shareholdings when they debut on the stock market. Until then, companies had a year to fulfil the requirement. This led to an intensification in terms of the number of Socimi debuts. In July alone, seven companies joined the MAB: GGC, Bay Hotels & Leisure, Grupo Ortiz, Kingbook Inversiones, AM Locales Property, Colon and Numulae (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Deloitte: Spain’s Office Sector Gets A Makeover

3 March 2017 – Expansión

The office markets in Madrid and Barcelona are getting ready to unveil their new image. They are preparing themselves to attract tenants that want not only good locations, but also new, high-quality products that meet the demands of today’s professionals.

At the end of 2016, the stock of offices in Madrid had a combined surface area of 12.9 million m2, whilst in Barcelona, the stock amounted to 5.9 million m2. Although still below the peaks seen before the crisis, the volume of new supply registered in Madrid and Barcelona grew by 56% during 2016 and the market is expected to recover over the next few years.

In this way, the office market will see more than 420,000 m2 of new office space opening up in these two cities between now and 2018, in addition to the 155,000 m2 of space that was added in 2016, thanks to new builds and renovations, according to a report compiled by Deloitte.

Projects underway

Specifically, this year, 180,000 m2 of new office space is expected to become available in Madrid, almost twice as much as last year. For example, Infinorsa, the main owner of Torre Europa, launched a complete overhaul of the building last year, following KPMG’s departure, which, until it moved to Torre de Cristal in March 2016, was the property’s main tenant.

The building – constructed in 1985 – is joining the league of smart skyscrapers, which are tailored to suit the needs of clients in the 21st century.

And just few metres away, on Paseo de la Castellana 77, the real estate group GMP is working on the complete renovation of Torre Ederra, with the renewal of its facilities and the transformation of all 18 of its floors.

What’s more, Madrid is not only renewing its existing supply, it is also welcoming new developments. One of the projects under construction is the property located on c/Estébanez Calderon, which is owned by Colonial. The building, which will have a surface area of just over 10,000 m2, is due be completed in the second half of 2017.

Colonial has also launched another construction project in the business district of Madrid, Specifically, the property located on Príncipe de Vergara will have a surface area of 11,300 m2 and 109 parking spaces.

Also in the capital, the family office Mazabi is restoring a building. The property located on Calle Velázquez 123 has a surface area of 2,346 m2 and benefits from a prime location in the heart of the Salamanca neighbourhood. Meanwhile, Mapfre is renovating a property on Plaza de la Independencia. The building, acquired in July 2015 from the Mutualidad Notarial for €82 million, has a total surface area of 12,000 m2, of which 4,000 m2 corresponds to three underground parking floors with more than 100 parking spaces.

In the same way, Barcelona is also reactivating its new office supply in response to the lack of available space.

According to Deloitte’s report, in addition to the six construction and renovation projects that were launched in 2016, the Catalan Capital expects to see two new projects in 2017, covering a surface area of 37,000 m2 and eight new projects in 2018, covering a surface area of 93,000 m2.

Amongst the new developments underway, the Castellví Group has initiated the construction of a new business complex on the corner of Calles Tánger and Badajoz in the 22@ district. (…).

Also in Barcelona, Colonial has launched a project next to Plaza de las Glòries and adjacent to Avenida Diagonal. (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rental Prices Will Rise On La Castellana After The Summer

6 July 2016 – Expansión

Madrid’s financial district is refreshing its image and prices are set to rise in the area after the summer. The Spanish capital’s La Castellana thoroughfare is aiming to attract tenants who are willing to prioritise the quality of space over rental costs.

Whilst investors remain attentive to the course of events unfolding in the City (London), following Brexit’s victory in the EU referendum held on 23 June, and the formation of a new Government in Spain after the election on 26 June, business is continuing as usual and the capital’s financial district is getting ready to open its doors to some new tenants. Some of the countries in the Eurozone may, over time, attract some of the activity that has been performed in the United Kingdom until now, and if this becomes a reality, Madrid’s financial district could represent a good option for companies currently headquartered in London.

Torre Europa is preparing itself to this end. Grupo Infinorsa has launched a process to renovate the property following KPMG’s departure and will allocate €20 million to the modernisation of its facilities. In the same way, GMP is in the middle of renovating the Castellana 77 skyscraper, known as Torre Ederra – the former headquarters of Saint Gobain – as well as Castellana 81 – Torre BBVA – to adapt them both to the new demands of the market. Another building that is looking for new tenants is Torre Picasso following EY’s move to Torre Titania. (…).

Sources at Cushman & Wakefield explain that demand is not growing in Madrid at the moment. “GDP levels are similar to during the years before the crisis, and so around 200,000 sqm of space is being leased out per year. The main explanation is uncertainty”. Moreover, it seems like the slowdown is more acute in the financial district, due to the quality of available stock and the cost. (…).

José Miguel Setién, Director of the Office Business at JLL, explains that renting in Madrid has been cheap until now and the price ratio is still very attractive when compared with other major European cities; this means that there is still a lot of potential in the Spanish capital. “Provided there are no political or structural macroeconomic problems, the figure trend is that the market will continue to rise”, he added.

The CEO of Aguirre Newman, Jaime Pascual-Sanchiz de la Serna, explained that offices in prime areas, as well as in the market in general, have been very static in terms of renovations and new projects. Pascual-Sanchiz says that several projects launched within the last 12 months will come onto the market within the next year. In his opinion, they will be a good indicator for measuring the evolution of offices. “The owners of those properties, including Pontegadea, Mutua Madrileña and the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros do not have financial problems, and are not desperate to lease their properties at any price”. For the expert, although we are seeing small and medium-sized operations in the area, the large moves, which are more dependent on the domestic and international political situation, will have to be unblocked after the summer.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Gmp Seeks New Tenant For Torre BBVA

13 October 2015 – Expansión

An office building with a surface area of almost 40,000 m2, located in the best financial district of Madrid, has been put onto the market for the first time ever, 40 years after its inauguration. The building in question is Castellana, 81, known as Torre BBVA, which has housed the bank’s headquarters since 1971, when the entity won a competition to construct its head office in the capital.

Four decades later and following the acquisition of the building by the real estate company Gmp in 2007, the iconic skyscraper is now looking for a tenant, as its historical occupant is moving to its new headquarters in Las Tablas. “This is an exciting project for the company. It is the first time that this building, which we have owned for eight years, has gone on the market. Since we acquired the property, we knew that BBVA would be leaving, and so we have been preparing accordingly – as such, we are putting the property on the market just at the right time in the cycle”, explains Xabier Barrondo, CEO of Gmp.

Before the arrival of the new tenant, the real estate company owned by the Montoro family and the Singapore sovereign fund GIC, will undertake a significant refurbishment of the building to update it. To this end, it has commissioned the architecture studio Ruiz de Barbarín. “We have contracted OHL, which is already working on the building. Our vision is to supply the market with a building that has the best services, in the best location in Madrid”, says the CEO.

In total, Gmp will invest around €30 million updating this building, which it hopes will obtain the ‘Leed Oro’ certification. This certificate attests that the property has the most energetically efficient systems. Moreover, the building will dedicate 2,300 m2 of space to catering, auditorium and physiotherapy services.

BBVA will not leave the building completely, since it will continue to occupy around 6,000 m2, on the top five floors (out of the total space – 38,800 m2 over 28 floors).

It is expected that the skyscraper will have its new tenant by the time the refurbishment work is completed, at the end of 2016. To this end, Gmp has engaged the consultancies Aguirre Newman and CBRE. (…).

This is not the only project that Gmp is currently working on; it is also renovated Torre Ederra, on Castellana, 77 and a property it has acquired on Eloy Gonzalo, 10, both in Madrid.

Original story: Expansión (by Rocío Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Azca & Diagonal: The Most Sought-After Office Space In Spain

17 July 2015 – Expansión

According to the consultancy firm JLL, the scarce supply and improving economy will cause office rental prices in Madrid and Barcelona to rise by more than anywhere else in the EMEA region over the next five years.

Specifically, the consultancy expects that office rents will rise in Madrid by 6.2% each year on average, from €25/m2/month in 2014 to €34.5/m2/ month in 2019. Meanwhile, rents in Barcelona will increase by 5.3% per year, to €23/m2/ month by the end of 2019. The highest rents will be seen in the prime areas, i.e. in the central business districts: Azca in Madrid and Avenida Diagonal (between Francesc Macia and Maria Cristina) in Barcelona.

In fact (…) prices in Barcelona will not only rise on Diagonal, they will also increase on Paseo de Gracia. Overall, rents increased by 6% in Q2 2015 in Barcelona, to reach €19/m2/month on average in those two areas.

According to JLL, only 15,000 m2 of office space is currently available on the best section of Diagonal, out of a stock of around 275,000 m2 in that area, which represents an availability rate of around 5%, a figure not seen since 2008.

In fact, between 2010 and 2011, large companies such as Axa, Unilever and KPMG decided to leave the business district and move to more peripheral areas. Axa left ‘La Illa’ to move to WTC Almeda Park in Cornella, where it rents 9,000 m2; KPMG was the pioneer in moving to the new Plaza Europa business district in 2010, where it rents 6,000 m2 in Torre Realia BCN. And in 2011, Unilever moved to the Viladecans Business Park, where it rents 7,000 m2. (…).

More office space is available in Madrid: up to 46,458 m2. Moreover, that figure is expected to increase to almost 108,000 m2 in the next two years, as almost 23% of the total surface area of 475,784 m2 in the area becomes available. (…). This is partly due to BBVA’s upcoming move to its new headquarters in the neighbourhood of Las Tablas – the bank currently occupies the building at Castellana, 81, where it will leave a space measuring 24,000 m2, which is expected to become available in Spring 2016. Furthermore, KPMG is going to move from Torre Europa (pictured above) to Torre Cristal (in the Cuatro Torres complex) and will free up around 21,000 m2 of space at Castellana 89 from next year. Finally, space will become available in Torre Ederra (Castellana, 77), recently acquired by GMP, which is going to undertake a complete renovation of the property, to be completed at the beginning of 2017.

Until then, 9.9% of the total office space in Madrid is immediately available. Most is located in Torre Titania (on Calle Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, 65), which accounts for 34% of the available space. The remainder is spread across other office buildings in the area, including the Masters I and II buildings (Calle General Perón, 38), the Mapfre building (Calle General Perón, 40) and the Alfredo Mahou building (Plaza Manuel Gómez Moreno, 2). (…).

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake

The March Family & GreenOak Compete To Buy Ahorro Corp’s HQ

13 April 2015 – Expansión

The financial group has given investors two weeks to submit their final bids. The leading candidates are the March (family), GreenOak, Colonial and Infinorsa.

Ahorro Corporación has prompted a new battle for real estate in the business district of Madrid. And it is proving to be the winner. The financial group is now on the home stretch in the sale of its headquarters, located on Paseo de la Castellana, 89; and the offers received to date have far exceeded the company’s initial expectations. The bids received are approaching €140 million, almost 50% higher than the price offered two years ago (€90 million – €100 million).

Ahorro Corporación and its advisor Aguirre Newman, have now made a shortlist of three candidates to buy the property. According to sources consulted, the investors with the strongest bids are Corporación Financiera Alba, controlled by the March (family), the fund GreenOak, the investor group Infinorsa – which owns Torre Europa – and the real estate company Colonial.

The improved macroeconomic environment (in Spain) and the war waged by these investors to acquire the main properties in Azca, have led to the rise in property prices. The over-supply of funding has also led to greater competition.

The price offered (€140 million) is at the high end of the consideration sought by Ahorro Corporación. Nevertheless, market sources say that the price may decrease slightly – to around €130 million – once the binding offers, which must be submitted in a couple of weeks, have been finalised. Ahorro Corporación has extended the initial deadline due to a request for new information from the interested parties.

100% occupancy rate

The financial group purchased the property from Banco Zaragozano in 2003 for €93.5 million. The building has a surface area of 20,000 square metres, spread over 14 floors and 530 parking spaces. As well as Ahorro Corporación itself, the building’s tenants include Sareb, the French opticians Alain Afflelou and Deloitte. The ground floor of the building is leased to restaurant chains including Lateral, Maki, Wagaboo and New York Burger. The building was constructed in 1977 and refurbished in 2008.

This is not the first battle between real estate investors in recent months. In January, BBVA sold the Torre Ederra, on Paseo de la Castellana, 77 – also in the Azca financial district – for €87 million. On that occasion, the real estate company GMP beat Infinorsa in the final round.

The sale of its headquarters is just another one of a number of divestments undertaken by Ahorro during its redefinition process, which KPMG is advising.

Over the last year, the financial entity has carried out transactions such as the sale of its fund manager, ACGestión to Abanca; the transfer of its infrastructure funds to GEDCapital; and the sale of its securisation manager, Ahorro y Titulización (AyT) to Haya Real Estate, owned by Cerberus.

The group is continuing to focus on its strategic businesses, namely fixed income and equity brokerage and advisory services.

Ahorro is focused on the international diversification of its business in the face of the disappearance or absorption of its former shareholders and clients – the savings banks – by other financial groups.

This group will have to face the remodelling of its shareholder base in the short-medium term, given that some of its shareholders, such as Bankia, will be forced to exit. Other shareholders that holds stakes in the group include: Cecabank, CaixaBank, Kutxabank, Liberbank, BMN, Ibercaja, Unicaja, Abanca, BBVA, Sabadell, Ontinyent and Pollença.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake

GMP Buys Torre Ederra From BBVA

27 January 2015 – Expansión

BBVA had acquired the building for €87.5 million in 2003 from the French group Saint Gobain Cristalería, which continued to occupy the premises under an agreement reached with the buyer.

The real estate group GMP has purchased the Torre Ederra, located in Madrid on Paseo de la Castellana, 77, following a sales process in which several investors participated, the company announced in a press release.

GMP says that it will now undertake a comprehensive renovation of the property with the aim of optimising its efficiency and sustainability, to convert it into an avant-garde building in a prime location.

In this way, GMP will promote Castellana 77 as a landmark building and will target companies looking for a prime location in Madrid.

The building covers 21,000 square metres in total, over 18 floors, which occupy 16,200 square metres. It also has five underground floors with 190 parking spaces.

BBVA appointed the property consultant CBRE to manage the sales process of the property. The real estate group, in which the sovereign fund Singapur CIG holds a 30% stake, already bought a building on Calle Eloy Gonzalo, 10 in mid-2014, whose lease ended in December, almost a year before the end of its renovation.

This transaction strengthens GMP’s presence in the AZCA financial centre, where the firm already owns a building designed by the architect Sáenz de Oiza, on the Paseo de la Castellana, 81.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake