Amenabar Joins Forces with Ares to Invest €110M in Construction of 400 Build-to-Rent Homes

17 January 2020 – El Confidencial

Amenabar Promociones has signed the largest build-to-rent operation to date in Spain with the fund Ares. Together, they are going to invest more than €110 million in the construction of more than 400 rental homes in Valdebebas, Madrid.

The homes are going to be built on a plot that Amenabar acquired at the end of 2019 from Ferrovial for €56 million. The Basque, family-owned, property developer made its debut in Madrid’s residential market five years ago and handed over more than 1,000 new homes last year. In 2020, it plans to increase that figure to almost 1,600, a volume that it hopes to maintain for the next couple of years, which will see it outperform many of its listed competitors.

With this operation, Amenabar is following in the footsteps of companies such as Aedas, Metrovacesa, Quabit, Momentum and Urbas, which have all committed to projects in the build to rent sector in recent months.

Meanwhile, Ares has become one of the most active funds in this segment of the market. For example, Aedas is going to build 500 rental homes for Ares (€70 million); and Metrovacesa is going to construct another 121 homes for the fund (€29 million).

The appeal of the segment lies in the attractive returns that rental homes are currently generating. In Q2 2019, the average gross yield on rental homes across Spain amounted to 3.9%, according to official data from the Bank of Spain, which is much higher than the return on bonds and other prime real estate assets, such as offices and high street premises. Moreover, various cities and neighbourhoods offer even higher returns e.g. Madrid Capital (5.06%) and the Villaverde neighbourhood (8.43%).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E. Sanz)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

General de Galerías Comerciales to Acquire 146,000-M2 Plot of Land in Valdebebas

2 December 2019 – The Valdebebas Compensation Board has approved the sale of a 145,790 square meter plot of land to the socimi General de Galerías Comerciales (GGC) under its Urban Action Program (PAU) for the district in Madrid. Details of the transaction, however, were not announced, though it is believed that the socimi would have paid over 200 million euros.

GGC plans on building a new commercial complex on the site, including 36,500 square meters of offices and more than 24,500 square meters of green areas and parks.

Original Story: Eje Prime

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Amenabar Wins Bidding for Ferrovial’s Land in Valdebebas

8 November 2019 – Amenabar won the bidding for a plot of land put on sale by Ferrovial in Valdebebas, just in front of the Cercanías RENFE stop in Madrid. The firm won out over Vivenio and Acciona, offering 56 million euros for the developable land. Amenabar has thus consolidated its position as the largest developer in the region, where it will build a total of nine developments, with approximately 1,000 new homes.

The sale fell in line within Ferrovial’s expectations, which had been around €2000/m2. The land measures a total of 27,200 m2, 22,700 m2 for residential development and 4,500 m2 for commerce, enough for roughly 230 new homes. Knight Frank provided Ferrovial with advice on the transaction.

The region of Valdebebas has seen several major transactions in recent months. A few months ago, Acciona also paid about €2,000/m2 (63 million euros) for a 31,700-m2 plot of land from Celteo. The land, which is located nearby Amenabar’s new asset, has enough land for about 260 homes.

Original Story: El Confidencial – Elena Sanz

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Acciona, Amenabar and Vivenio Vying to Acquire Land in Valdebebas from Ferrovial

8 November 2019 – Ferrovial has received three firm offers for a plot of land in Valdebebas, just in front of the Cercanías stop. The three firms vying for the land are Amenabar, Vivenio and Acciona.

The land has a total of 27,200 square meters of surface area, 22,700 m2 for residential and 4,500 m2 for commercial development. Ferrovial expects to pocket roughly 2,000 euros per square meter, approximately 54 million euros. The land has enough space to build about 230 homes.

Original Story: El Confidencial – Elena Sanz

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Ferrovial Looks to Sell 27,200-M2 Plot of Land in Valdebebas for €54.5 Million

21 October 2019 – Ferrovial is looking to sell off its land in Valdebebas, a newly fashionable neighbourhood bordering La Moraleja, Operation Chamartín and the future Campus of Justice in northern Madrid. The Spanish multinational owns 27,200 square meters of land, 22,700-m2 of which are slated for residential construction.  The other 4,500 m2 is for commercial use.

Knight Frank Spain is mediating the sale, and there are currently three potential bidders, all offering at least 2,000 euros per square meter. Developers would have enough space to build 240 new homes on the site and are expected to use the build to rent format, which tends to mitigate risk. The sale of the land, which is considered highly attractive, should be finalised before the end of the year.

Original Story: La Información – Ana Sánchez Juárez

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Trinitario Casanova’s Baraka Group to Build Hotel in Valdebebas

14 October 2019 The executive Trinitario Casanova is planning on building a new hotel in Madrid Norte, the capital’s new residential area, between Valdebebas and Operation Chamartín. Casanova’s Baraka Group confirmed that it would develop the new hotel on a 38,000-m2 plot of land its owns near to the Real Madrid sports complex and the access to Madrid-Barajas airport. The project reportedly also includes plans for rental offices on the same site.

The area where the hotel will be located is in the ‘Valdebebas Fintech District’ in the new Madrid Nuevo Norte in the north of Madrid, where 11,400 new homes are already under development.

Original Story: La Información – Ana Sánchez Juárez

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Tomás Olivo in Talks to Acquire 150,000 M2 of Land in Valdebebas

3 October 2019 –Tomás Olivo’s socimi General de Galerías Comerciales (GGC) is negotiating to acquire 145,790 square meters of commercial land in Valdebebas, where it is looking to develop the largest shopping centre in Spain.

The land is said to be worth 200 million euros, though GGC has yet to offer that much.

The future shopping centre will include 36,500 square meters of office buildings, along with more than 24,500 square meters or parks and green areas.

Original Story: Eje Prime

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Acciona Acquires a Plot of Land in Valdebebas as Ferrovial Looks to Sell Another

17 September 2019 Madrid’s real estate sector has seen a series of major transactions in recent months. In the most recent, Acciona acquired a 31,700-m2 plot of land from the company Celteo Business, including 26,018 m2 for residences and 5,755 m2 for stores. According to market sources, the conglomerate paid 2,000 euros/m2, a two-fold increase over the average price just five years ago. The deal, which totalled approximately 63 million euros, secured enough land to build about 260 homes.

Ferrovial, for its part, has decided to wrap up its development business and is looking to sell a plot of land just in front of the Cercanías train station. The firm is asking for about 2,000 euros per square meter or roughly 54 million euros for a 27,200-m2 plot of land. The land consists of 22,700 m2 for residences and 4,500 m2 for stores and would fit about 230 new homes.

Before sales begin on the Madrid Nuevo Norte development, Valdebebas is one of the few areas in Spain’s capital offering new housing. “Valdebebas is the only option for many families looking to buy a newly-built home… while it is also one of the few areas with finalist land for developers,” says Samuel Population of CBRE.

According to a study by Foro Consultores, there are currently 11 new developments underway in the area, totalling 857 new homes, almost half of which have already been sold.

The prices of the homes, according to the same firm, range between 450,000 and 650,000 euros, with the average price per square meter between 3,800 and 3,700 euros.

Original Story: El Confidencial – Elena Sanz

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Metrovacesa to Develop Offices and Hotels on 1.2 Million Square of Land by 2023

20 August 2019

Last year, Metrovacesa revealed that its holdings include a gigantic, 6-million-m2 portfolio of land, enough to build 40,000 new homes. That total also 1.25 million square meters of land slated for the construction of offices, hotels and logistics assets.

The firm announced its intention to “sell or develop” most of the 1.25 million square meters by 2023. Metrovacesa revealed plans for four major developments, accounting for 60% of the land bank, in a total investment of almost €390 million. The projects include La City and Loinsa in Barcelona and Clesa and Valdebebas in Madrid. Spain’s two biggest cities account for 86% of the portfolio, and 94% of those lands already have urban planning permits.

The largest of the four is City Metropolitana, in Barcelona’s L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, with a buildable area of ​​135,000 m2. The property company plans to build mostly offices on the site, along with up to 20,000 m2 for hotels. Metrovacesa also has 58,131 m2 of buildable land in Madrid, where it plans to build Valdebebas. That project will likely consist of a 4-building office complex.

Original Story: Cinco Días

Adaptation/Translation: Richard D. K. Turner

Real Madrid to Invest €525M in the Modernisation of the Bernabéu Stadium

2 April 2019 – Eje Prime

On Tuesday, Real Madrid and the Town Hall of the Spanish capital announced the launch of a project to modernise the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which will see a total investment of €525 million. The work will begin at the end of May and is due to be completed at the end of 2023, with no planned disruption to the fixture schedule during that period.

According to the club’s President, Florentino Pérez (pictured above, right), Real Madrid has already spent €500 million upgrading its facilities since 2000. Specifically, it has invested €256 million in several updates to the stadium and another €231 million in the construction of the Ciudad Real Madrid training ground in Valdebebas.

The latest project, designed by GMP Arquitectos/L-35/Ribas will involve a new step in the transformation of the stadium, although few details have been revealed at this stage. During the first phase, the La Esquina del Bernabéu shopping centre will be demolished to create a large square and another square will be built next to Paseo de la Castellana.

In total, 23,000 m2 of space will be freed up and distributed between stores and restaurants to complement the museum, which will also be expanded. The capacity of the stadium will also be expanded by 1,000, which will be dedicated in their entirety to people with reduced mobility or some kind of disability.

It is not yet known who will carry out the work or how the project will be financed, but a tender process for the execution of the work is scheduled to open in April. Four companies are predicted to participate: Acciona, FCC, Ferrovial and San José.

Original story: Eje Prime (by M. Menchén)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake