Moonlake Capital Launches a Vehicle to Invest €600M in NPLs

27 May 2019 – Eje Prime

Moonlake Capital is going to launch a vehicle to invest €600 million in large portfolios of non-performing loans in Madrid, Barcelona, the Costa del Sol, the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Sevilla.

The new vehicle will operate as a servicer for the fund and so will manage and divest the portfolio of properties that the banks were left with after their owners were unable to keep up the repayments on their mortgages.

As such, the investment group created in 2016 and headquartered in Madrid will enter the market to compete with the likes of Servihabitat, Altamira, Solvia and Haya Real Estate, amongst others.

In parallel, Moonlake is also planning to create a joint venture with an as yet unidentified investor to develop a 2.5 million m2 project in Málaga’s technology park, involving the construction of 5,000 homes, 110,000 m2 of industrial warehouses and 30,000 m2 of commercial premises.

Original story: Eje Prime (by Marta Casado Pla)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

AENA Activates its RE Plan in Palma, Málaga, Valencia & Sevilla

23 May 2019 -. ABC 

AENA is going to become the largest property developer in Spain over the next few years, having launched four real estate mega-projects at its airports in Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Valencia and Sevilla, in addition to those already underway in Madrid and Barcelona. The airport manager is now looking to engage a consultant to help it decide the uses that will be assigned to the land that it owns in the vicinity of the four airports.

According to sources, AENA and the private partner will identify which plots are “potentially marketable” and will plan their development together. This process will take around a year, with AENA planning to dedicate the first six months to the development of the airports in Palma de Mallorca and Málaga-Costa del Sol, and the second six months to the airports in Sevilla-San Pablo and Valencia.

Madrid and Barcelona

These projects will join those already announced by the company led by Maurici Lucena for the vicinity of Barajas and El Prat airports in Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. There, AENA is planning to build offices, hotels and logistics hubs. In the Spanish Capital, the company is planning to develop up to 2.2 million m2 of land, whilst in the Catalan capital, that figure amounts to 1.1 million m2.

Original story: ABC (by Guillermo Ginés)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

VGP Invests €22M in 2 Logistics Platforms in Cheste (Valencia)

15 May 2019 – Levante EMV

The Czech group VGP has announced that it is going to invest €22 million in the construction of two latest-generation logistics platforms on plots spanning 75,000 m2 in Cheste. The logistics platforms will span 15,000 m2 and 26,000 m2, respectively, and the projects are expected to create around 400 new jobs.

The logistics industrial estate in Cheste is enjoying a boom in recent times driven, in particular, by the Lidl logistics platform. It sits within the first logistics ring of Valencia and has direct access to the Manises airport, as well as to the Port of Valencia.

VGP will add these assets in Cheste to the other sites that it is already developing in Spain, including VGP Park San Fernando de Henares, VGP Park Lliçà d’Amunt, VGP Park Fuenlabrada and VGP Park Zaragoza, which together span 360,000 m2.

Original story: Levante EMV (by Ramón Ferrando)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Valencia’s Logistics Market will Incorporate 6+ New Platforms in 2019

14 May 2019 – Valencia Plaza

The logistics real estate sector in Valencia is on a roll. At least that is according to a study conducted by Triangle Real Estate Management, which highlights the plentiful supply in the province, in particular in the Riba-Roja and Cheste areas.

Construction is currently underway on three new logistics platforms, spanning 53,000 m2 in total, in the town of Riba-Roja, which are expected to be completed in Q3 2019. Moreover, work has already been finished this year on three other logistics properties in Paterna, Torrent and Loriguilla, with a combined surface area of 40,000 m2.

In addition, there are eight other projects in the pipeline to build turnkey properties, spanning a total surface area of 261,123 m2, which will be ready 9-12 months after they have been signed.

Stock of properties

On the other hand, the report details that the total stock of properties available for storage in the Valencia area spans a surface area of more than 2.5 million m2, of which 60% is located in the Valencia Logistics Corridor, comprising the municipalities of Riba-Roja, Loriguilla and Cheste. However, most of the available surface areas are “old, small properties”.

Land under development

The Valencian logistics market also has 6 million m2 of land available for development, in other words, land that is buildable and classified as industrial but pending the completion of one or more urban planning procedure. 75% of that land will be developed over the long-term, in other words, in more than 5 years time.

Rental prices

Market prices have risen in recent months due to the shortage of supply. Asking prices in the prime areas along the A-3 (Riba-Roja, Cheste, Loriguilla and Quart de Poblet) amount to €4.5/m2/month, compared with €4.25/m2/month in the area around the Ford Almussafes factory and €3.75/m2/month in secondary areas and places such as Sagunt.

Original story: Valencia Plaza (by Begoña Torres)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

CBRE: Logistics Leasing Rose by 100% in Valencia but Fell by 67% in Madrid in Q1 2019

15 April 2019 – Eje Prime

According to a report published by CBRE, logistics leasing amounted to 464,000 m2 during the first quarter of 2019, distributed primarily across the centre of Spain, Cataluña, Valencia, Zaragoza, Sevilla and Bilbao.

In the central region, 73,700 m2 of space was leased, down by 67% with respect to Q1 2018; and in Cataluña, 215,700 m2 was leased, up by 18% YoY. Meanwhile, in Valencia, 160,000 m2 of space was leased, twice as much as during the same period in 2018. Logistics leasing in Sevilla, Zaragoza and Bilbao amounted to 9,500 m2, 3,600 m2 and 1,500 m2, respectively.

In addition, €191 million was invested in the logistics sector during the first quarter of 2019, with the logistics company Columbus and the property developer Pulsar accounting for 60% of that total.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

ADU Purchases the Mestalla Plots from Valencia FC for c. €115M

17 April 2019 – Idealista

The manager ADU Mediterráneo and CONCOVI (the Confederation of Housing Cooperatives in Spain) has reached an agreement with Valencia CF to purchase the plots on the site of the current Mestalla stadium.

It is the largest land transaction to be signed for a decade in Valencia, with a surface area of 97,225 m2, of which 55,769 m2 will be dedicated to residential use and 41,456 m2 for tertiary purposes.

According to the newspaper Las Provincias, the consideration for the deal could amount to more than €115 million. Valencia FC will move to its new stadium during the 2022-2023 season. CBRE will exclusively manage the sale of the tertiary and residential properties.

Original story: Idealista 

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

CBRE: Logistics Investment in Valencia Soared by 90% in 2018 to €80M

10 April 2019 – Las Provincias

According to the real estate consultancy CBRE, logistics investment in the province of Valencia rose by 90% YoY in 2018 to €80 million. Nevertheless, it warned that speculative projects have also increased, namely those that are built without a prior contract or guarantee in place for their subsequent sale or rental. Having said that, the market has been readily absorbing the new properties, so far at least, given the rise in demand for logistics warehouses.

According to Javier Muñoz (pictured above, left), Head of Industrial and Logistics at CBRE in Valencia, more high-quality products need to be constructed, given that only 27% of the warehouses in the province currently comply with logistics requirements.

In terms of the type of operations completed last year, the largest deals involved turnkey projects, whilst the number of speculative projects increased. In total 22 transactions of both types were completed in 2018 compared with 10 turnkey projects in 2017. The total stock increased by 24% as a result to reach 2,832,850 m2, and the availability rate at the end of Q1 2019 was 5.9%.

Rental prices continued to rise, with prime rents reaching €4.50/m2/month, in line with those observed in other European cities such as Rome, Amsterdam and Milan. Yields on logistics assets in Valencia currently amount to 6.7% thanks to the strong performance of the sector and interest from large international and smaller local players alike.

Original story: Las Provincias (by Elísabeth Rodríguez)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Aena Reduces its RE Plan for Barajas & El Prat and Plans to Add 4 Other Airports

9 April 2019 – El Economista

Aena has decided to reduce the surface area to be included in its real estate plan for development at Barajas and El Prat. Following the publication of its strategic plan for 2018-2021, the airport manager has chosen to reduce the amount of land by 73 hectares (or 12%) to 549 hectares. As such, 349 hectares will be developed in Madrid and 200 hectares in Barcelona.

In addition, the company chaired by Maurici Lucena (pictured above) is also considering extending the plan to include four other airports: Valencia, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca and Málaga, although no final decisions have yet been made.

The real estate plan will be developed in phases and plots of land will be put up for tender in accordance with demand. The first lot will comprise logistics space at Barajas.

Aena also plans to dedicate some of its facilities to solar panels, with the objective of generating 70% of its annual energy consumption through its own photovoltaic plants by 2026.

Original story: El Economista (by África Semprún)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

Habitat Acquires a Plot in Valencia for the Construction of 96 Homes

29 March 2019 – Levante EMV

The property developer Habitat has purchased a plot of land on Calle Bomber Ramón Duart in the Quatre Carreres neighbourhood of Valencia, for the construction a 96-home residential property. The company, which is backed by the US fund Bain Capital, is already building 600 homes in the Community of Valencia and plans to invest €500 million in land purchases across Spain between now and 2021.

In its latest operation, the real estate company has acquired a plot measuring more than 3,100 m2 with a buildability of 14,000 m2, which will involve a total investment, including the construction work, of €30 million. The operation forms part of the strategic and business plan that the company, chaired by Juan María Nin and led by José Carlos Saz, is carrying out.

Original story: Levante EMV (by Ramón Ferrando)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake

El Cabanyal Monopolises Foreign Investors’ Purchases in Valencia

28 March 2019 – Valencia Plaza

According to a report published by the German real estate firm Engel & Völkers, the neighbourhood of El Cabanyal was where the most operations were closed by foreign investors in Valencia last year.

The price per square metre in the neighbourhood soared as a result and now amounts to around €3,000/m2-€3,100/m2. In many cases, the purchased properties have been renovated for rental by tourists, given that the  VUT limitations imposed on other areas of the city do not apply in El Cabanyal.

Original story: Valencia Plaza (by Estefanía Pastor)

Translation/Summary: Carmel Drake