Optimum Reduces its Losses and Warns about the Future Impact of Coronavirus

The company has indicated in its accounts that it is taking the necessary steps to handle the situation caused by the coronavirus and to minimise its impact.

The Socimi closed 2019 with a turnover of €1.3 million compared to €1.9 million in 2018, down by 30%, according to the annual accounts it has sent to the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

Although its revenues decreased, the company controlled by the investment fund Cerberus has also lost less: its losses fell by 61% from -€4.4 million in 2018 to -€1.7 million in 2019.

The Hotel Socimi Elaia Earned Double and Invoiced 40% More in 2019

Elaia Investment considers that it is ‘extremely difficult’ to evaluate the impact of the pandemic crisis on its business this year.

The Socimi Elaia, which specialises in hotel assets, closed 2019 with a profit of €5.2 million, whereby doubling the result recorded in the previous year, when it earned €2.4 million. Elaia considers that it is “extremely difficult” to evaluate the impact of the pandemic crisis on its business this year.

The divestment process of the company, which is controlled by the Luxembourg group Batipart, has a lot to do with these results. Swiss Life Asset Managers acquired two hotels in Mallorca -Icon Valparaíso and Vistama-, one hotel in Gerona (Monterrey) and an apartment complex in Menorca (Eden Binibeca), which according to market sources are worth more than €50 million.

The Socimi Owned by KKR and Altamar Increased its Losses by 56% in 2019

The Socimi obtained revenues of €1.3 million in 2019 compared to the €571,100 it invoiced the previous year.

Elix VRS closed 2019 with losses of €2.5 million, up by 56% compared to those registered in 2018, as reported by the firm to the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

The Socimi, which is owned by Altamar and KKR, obtained a turnover of €1.3 million in 2019 compared to the €571,100 it invoiced the previous year. The company explains that this is due to the “expansionary cycle that the group is in and its value creation strategy.”

Quabit Buys ‘Rayet Construcción’ for €13.1M

16 May 2019 – Eje Prime

Quabit has acquired 83% of the shares in the construction company Rayet Construcción for €13.1 million as a means of “reducing uncertainties in terms of the costs and timeframes of its construction projects”, according to a statement issued by the company to Spain’s National Securities and Markets Commission (CNMV).

The company reported its results on Wednesday and announced a 5%-10% decrease in turnover due to delays in the delivery of its business plan, whereby following in the footsteps of its rivals Neinor and Metrovacesa, which have also revised down their results in recent months.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Aedas Revolutionises the Property Development Sector by Building 500 Turnkey Homes for Ares

12 April 2019 – El Confidencial

Aedas Homes has decided to launch a new line of business by building complete housing developments for other companies. In this way, the listed property developer hopes to generate value from its production over-capacity; it anticipates recording revenues of around €70 million from the initiative.

In this vein, the company led by David Martínez has reached an agreement with the fund Ares to build 500 homes in its name in three different locations: Torrejón de Ardoz, Alcalá de Henares and El Cañaveral (all in Madrid).

This is the largest turnkey project in the sector since the outbreak of the real estate crisis, a decade ago and as such, represents a real milestone.

The three largest listed property developers in Spain, Neinor, Aedas and Metrovacesa, are all living by the famous mantra “reinvent yourself or die”. As such, they are expanding their operations as they seek to actually generate the high turnover figures that they promised when they made their stock market debuts.

With this latest announcement, Aedas is sending a clear message to its competitors. It has over-capacity in its production model, which means that it can handle turnkey projects on a large scale, as well as deliver the roadmap that it is already committed to.

With the additional 500 homes from this project, Aedas Homes could end the year with more than 3,000 units launched, compared with the 2,580 initially planned for the year.

Meanwhile, Ares Capital is immersed in its commitment to the Spanish real estate market, with a particular focus on the residential segment, with homes both for sale and for rent.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Ruth Ugalde)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Habitat’s Land Portfolio Now Spans 1 million m2 with Capacity to Build 10,000 Homes

9 March 2019 – Expansión

The property developer Habitat now owns more than 1 million m2 of land after investing €121 million last year to expand its portfolio. As such, the firm led by José Carlos Saz (pictured below) has the capacity to build around 10,000 homes. Specifically, the firm backed by Bain Capital acquired 27 plots last year on which to build around 2,500 homes. 5% of those plots were non-buildable (in the process of being approved for construction).

The company expects to reach cruising speed with the delivery of 2,000 homes per year from 2021 onwards. Last year, it handed over 270 homes across 4 developments in Barcelona, Málaga and Madrid, to generate turnover of €89 million, EBITDA of €1.83 million and a net profit of €250,000. The company plans to invest €500 million in land purchases until 2021, financed by Bain.

Moreover, like its competitors Neinor, Aedas and Metrovacesa, Habitat is also considering entering the rental home sector and may even begin to build developments for Socimis.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Montebalito’s Turnover Fell by 52% in 2018 & its Losses Amounted to -€2M

28 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Montebalito suffered in 2018. The group recorded losses amounting to €2 million last year, compared with the profit of €948,000 that it obtained in 2017. In parallel, the company’s turnover dropped by 52% to €7 million, according to reports filed by the company with Spain’s National Securities and Market Commission (CNMV).

The decrease in turnover occurred because there were no sales of singular assets in 2018 like there were in 2017, according to Montebalito. “If we strip out the effect of those sales, the group’s turnover rose by 32% YoY, driven primarily by an increase in the sales of developments located in Brazil and Chile”, he said.

Montebalito’s gross asset value (GAV) amounted to €135.7 million at the end of 2018, compared with €144.2 million last year. Similarly, the company has said that the total investment that it has to make for all of its projects in progress amounts to €32 million.

The firm’s investment volume in 2018 was €5.8 million, which represents a 51% increase compared to the previous year. That figure was justified by the acquisition of three plots: one in Madrid, one in Collado Villalba and one in Sevilla, in Isla de la Cartuja, for the construction of a hotel with 92 rooms.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Lar España’s Profits Fell by 4.6% in 2018 to €129.3M

1 March 2019 – Expansión

Lar España recorded a net profit of €129.3 million in 2018, which represented a decrease of 4.6% with respect to the previous year, whilst its revenues grew by 0.3% to €77.8 million.

According to explanations provided by the company, this result includes a charge of €17.9 million in the first quarter, to comply with the Grupo Lar management contract, as it achieved divestments of €100 million.

Without that negative effect, which is only going to be recorded in 2018 (…), the resulted would have amounted to €155.7 million, 7% more than in the previous year. Meanwhile, the EBITDA amounted to €55 million, up by 0.3%.

The firm completed divestments amounting to €272.5 million in 2018 and invested €75.6 million in the renovation of its asset portfolio.

In terms of dividends, the sale of the luxury homes at Lagasca 99 (Madrid) will allow the company to increase its remuneration to shareholders from €0.49 in 2017 to €0.80 in 2018, a rise of 63.2%.

At the end of 2018, the firm’s financial debt amounted to €621.7 million. Last year, its assets appreciated in value by 12.1% (…).

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake

Colonial’s Profits Fell by 23% in 2018 to €525M

26 February 2019 – El Confidencial

Colonial closed 2018 with revenues from rental income of €347 million, up by 23% compared to a year earlier. Nevertheless, the Socimi’s profit decreased by 23% to €525 million, given that in 2017, the firm recorded a gain from the sale of a building in Paris – In & Out – for €445 million and was converted into a Socimi. The buildings contributed by the merger with Axiare generated €56 million, equivalent to 16.1% of the total.

These are Colonial’s first results following the completion of its merger with Axiare, the Socimi over which it launched a €1.45 billion takeover in November 2017, and in a year in which it also increased its stake in the French firm Société Foncière Lyonnaise (SFL).

In a relevant fact sent to the CNMV, the Socimi also announced that it ended the year with assets worth €11.3 billion – distributed across the centres of Paris, Barcelona and Madrid – up by 22%, following the integration of Axiare onto its balance sheet. Excluding the effect of that integration, the increase would have amounted to 8% (…).

“Following an excellent year, we are confident of achieving a very satisfactory performance in the market and of generating rental income of €500 million over the next three or four years”, explained the CEO of Colonial, Pere Viñolas, who added that the company’s recurring profit, after excluding extraordinary items and asset revaluations, amounted to €101 million and represented an increase of 22%.

In operational terms, last year, Colonial signed 103 rental contracts, spanning a total surface area of 175,000 m2, which will generate rental income of €43 million p.a. (…).

In financial terms, at the end of 2018, Colonial recorded net debt of €4.7 billion at the end of 2018, up by 52% with respect to 2017 (€3.1 billion) before the purchase of Axiare. That liability accounts for 39% of the firm’s asset value (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E.S.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Retail Socimi Única’s Profit Soared by 42% in 2018

26 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Única Real Estate is on a roll. The Socimi, which specialises in retail premises, has presented its results for 2018, revealing 42% higher earnings than a year earlier. Specifically, the company recorded a profit of €495,498, compared to €348,060 in 2017.

In parallel, Única generated revenues of €19.7 million, which translates into growth of 49% compared to its turnover a year earlier. The company’s operating result amounted to €858,105 in 2018, up by 45.6% compared to a year earlier.

The Socimi also reported that its real estate portfolio ended the year with a market value of €44.8 million, according to a valuation carried out by Savills Consultores Inmobiliarios. In total, Única has 36 commercial premises, spanning 8,655 m2 (…).

Looking ahead, Única’s forecasts involve executing the corporate operation in which it has been immersed since the end of 2018, and which involves the purchase of 100% of the company’s shares by Vitruvio Real Estate Socimi (…).

Única completed its stock market debut in 2018, and started trading on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) on 27 June. The Socimi ended the year with a market capitalisation of €30.5 million and a share price of €26.60, up by 1.6% compared to its debut.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake