Property Investor News

Thursday 10. June 2010
UK's Continental Property pays E142m for Madrid hotel

UK-based Continental Property Investment, the investment fund controlled by British investor Boutros El Khoury, has...

Thursday 10. June 2010
Italian real estate targets coming social housing boom

The introduction of Italian government support for social housing via subsidised loans from state-owned banking group...

Monday 07. June 2010
Drivers Jonas Deloitte aims at wider Europe presence

The merger of commercial property realtor Drivers Jonas into Deloitte brings Nick Shepherd 680 new partners, and the...

Monday 07. June 2010
Gecina-Metrovacesa: Soon to be a major TV mini-series?

It reads like a story out of Dynasty or Dallas, those shoulder-padded 1980s tales of skullduggery and oil, mainly set...

Monday 07. June 2010
PIE NORDIC PROPERTY BREAKFAST 2 JULY IN LONDON - REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN

Registrations are now open for the next in PIE's expert seminar series, the Nordic Property Breakfast on Friday 2 July...

Monday 07. June 2010
Moor Park's Spanish deal extends equity-provision strategy

Private equity group Moor Park Capital's e403m investment in Spain's Banco Sabadell in April was the latest corporate...

Monday 07. June 2010
Eurosic aims for growth to prepare for two-tier, limited-credit new world

Jean-Eric Vimont is preparing French property group Eurosic for the coming new world: a two-tier real estate market,...

Monday 07. June 2010
IPD conference highlights European uncertainty

European property professionals at the annual European conference of Investment Property Databank 10 days ago were...

Monday 07. June 2010
Colonia looks to expansion as restructuring draws to close

Cologne listed group Colonia Real Estate has almost completed its financial restructuring and re-focus in the aftermath...

Monday 07. June 2010
Fiduciary responsibility, alpha creation: Future pillars of RE investment

The real estate investment management industry did not emerge from the credit crisis with an enhanced reputation; too...

Monday 07. June 2010
Düsseldorf property trader WGF sets expansion, broadens financing

Düsseldorf's private property group WGF is on an expansion path and to support this it is placing a short-term debt...

Monday 07. June 2010
PIE German Property Breakfast sees investors returning, yields reverting

Property Investor Europe on 21 May brought together four experts to discuss the question: Can German real estate...

Monday 07. June 2010
GSW IPO failure may be correct response from capital markets

The international community has identified good reasons for the failure of the initial public offering of Berlin-based...

Monday 07. June 2010
Italy's EIRE trade fair expects 14,000 visitors

Italy's largest real estate trade fair, EIRE - Expo Italia Real Estate, is expecting more than 14,000 property...

Thursday 03. June 2010
Global property at inflection point - ING REIM

The global property market recovery is playing out rapidly in 2010, faster than forecast, and has now reached a crucial...

Thursday 03. June 2010
European commercial RE demand growing - Cushman

European commercial property was buoyed in first quarter by further growth in demand, particularly from foreign...

Thursday 03. June 2010
Poor performance expected for Greek real estate as austerity program bites

Poor performance is expected in the Greek real estate market for at least the next five years, mainly in retail as the...

Thursday 03. June 2010
Internet alters retail patterns amid significant demography shift - JLL

The internet and associated technologies will continue to liberate consumer power and are rapidly changing consumers'...

Wednesday 02. June 2010
Differing views aired on German housing after GSW cancels IPO

Sharply different attitudes to investment in German housing came under the spotlight at a conference last month, with...

Wednesday 02. June 2010
Sweden's Vasakronan in E565m housing sale

Sweden's largest property company Vasakronan, owned by national pension funds, has sold its residential property firm...

Tuesday 01. June 2010
Deutsche Wohnen boosts FFO by 55% at 2010 start

Berlin-based listed housing group Deutsche Wohnen posted a 55% rise in funds from operations for first quarter, to...

Monday 31. May 2010
France adopts controversial Grand Paris capital gains tax

Both houses of the French parliament have now approved a controversial capital gains tax designed to help fund the...

Monday 31. May 2010
Spain's Santander bank postpones Banif asset sale

Spain's largest banking group Banco Santander has postponed the sale of assets from the E2.6bn Banif Property...

Monday 31. May 2010
French REIT FdR aims at E159m in share dividend

The annual meeting of French REIT Foncière des Régions has approved the option of paying out the 2009 dividend in a new...

Monday 31. May 2010
INREV names EBS professor Thomas new CEO

The European property funds association INREV has appointed as new CEO Matthias Thomas, a former head of IPD Germany...

Monday 31. May 2010
Sweden's Scribona acquires Catella for E43m

Swedish firm Scribona is to acquire the finance and real estate group Catella for SEK417m (E43m). Renaming to Catella,...

Monday 31. May 2010
French govt to sell 6% of buildings to cut deficit

The French government is aiming to sell 6% of its total building stock over the next three years as it seeks to cut its...

Monday 31. May 2010
Sony Center price said to be close to E600m

South Korea's National Pension Service, the fifth largest pension fund in the world, has confirmed it closed its first...

Monday 31. May 2010
Real estate to fall short of sustainable goals by 2020

One in five surveyors globally believe that 90% of commercial real estate stock will fall short of meeting good...

Monday 31. May 2010
Deka, RREEF said bidding for e160m Barcelona prime asset

Foreign and national investor interest in the Spanish commercial real estate market is still strong. Spanish media...

Monday 31. May 2010
Gecina governance changes said attracting takeover interest

Because of recent corporate governance changes at French REIT/SIIC Gecina, including the waning influence of former...

Friday 28. May 2010
Holding firm of Frankfurt's DIC gains new shareholder

Germany's Deutsche Immobilien Chancen, the majority owner of the listed office investor DIC Asset, has acquired a new...

Friday 28. May 2010
Real estate to fall short of sustainable goals by 2020, says RICS survey

One in five surveyors globally believe that 90% of commercial real estate stock will fall short of meeting good...

Friday 28. May 2010
French REIT FdR proposes share dividend to raise up to E159m in fresh equity

The board of French REIT Foncière des Régions is to propose to the annual meeting today the option of paying the 2009...

Thursday 27. May 2010
INREV appoints EBS professor Thomas as new CEO

The European property funds association INREV has appointed Matthias Thomas as new CEO, effective in August. Thomas, a...

Thursday 27. May 2010
Gecina governance changes said attracting takeover interest

Because of recent corporate governance changes at French REIT/SIIC Gecina, including the waning influence of former...

Thursday 27. May 2010
Santander postpones Banif asset sale due to lack of demand

Spain's Banco Santander has postponed the sale of assets from the e2.6bn Banif Property Investment Fund, a mutual real...

Thursday 27. May 2010
Sweden's Scribona acquires Catella for E43m

Listed Swedish firm Scribona is to acquire the finance and real estate group Catella for SEK417m (E43m), including...

Monday 24. May 2010
Austrian Immofinanz recovers most of E516m bond

The newly-merged Austrian Immofinanz has reached agreement on a complex financial restructuring including...

Monday 24. May 2010
Berlin's E570m Sony Center sale to Korea said closed

The sale of Berlin's emblematic Sony Center to the National Pension Service of Korea has been closed, according to...

Monday 24. May 2010
Rivero says not under investigation; vague on Gecina stake

French REIT/SIIC Gecina's former chairman and CEO Joaquin Rivero has denied he is under judicial investigation, and...

Monday 24. May 2010
SAVE THE DATE! 2 JULY - PIE NORDIC PROPERTY BREAKFAST

Registrations will begin soon for the next in PIE's expert seminar series, the Nordic Property Breakfast on Friday 2...

Monday 24. May 2010
Spain agrees to defer E300m Reyal Urbis tax liabilities

Spanish tax authorities have agreed to defer a payment of E300m due from struggling Spanish listed property company...

Monday 24. May 2010
Perella, CA Immo bidding for Austria's Europolis

The US investment boutique Perella Weinberg and Austrian listed property group CA Immo are among firms bidding for the...

Monday 24. May 2010
Credit Suisse fund becomes 3rd Berlin proposals' casualty

The German open-end real estate manager of Credit Suisse has closed its E6.3bn CS Euroreal fund to redemptions after a...

Monday 24. May 2010
Apple, Andik said competing for Barcelona asset

US technology group Apple and Isac Andik, chairman of clothing retailer Mango have both made offers for the Banco...

Monday 24. May 2010
Barclays Spanish branch sale said last for this year

The latest sale offer of 34 bank branches in Spain by UK bank Barclays is likely to be its last this year, say industry...

Monday 24. May 2010
French parliament backs property tax outside Paris

The French National Assembly parliament has approved a draft law to introduce a new capital gains tax on property...

Monday 24. May 2010
France's Klépierre boosts equity by E190m in stock dividend

Shareholders in French shopping centre REIT/SIIC Klépierre have accepted, by a majority of 84.6% of voting rights, the...

Monday 24. May 2010
Smith to succeed Backlund as Aberdeen property head

Rickard Backlund is to step down as head of Aberdeen Property Investors and will be succeeded by Andrew Smith, head of...

Sunday 23. May 2010
Berlin's E570m Sony Center sale to Korea said closed

The sale of Berlin's emblematic Sony Center to the National Pension Service of Korea has been closed, according to...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Immofinanz says completes restructuring with bond buyback

The newly-merged listed Austrian Immofinanz has reached agreement on a complex financial restructuring including...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Spain agrees to defer E300m Reyal Urbis tax liabilities

Spanish tax authorities have agreed the deferment of a payment of E300m in liabilities due from struggling Spanish...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Van der Jagt-Buitink launches CharterHaus in Germany

Former HSBC property executive Brigitte van der Jagt-Buitink has launched CharterHaus Real Estate, a shopping centre...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Rivero said buying back Bami stake from Gecina

Joaquin Rivero, a major shareholder in French REIT/SIIC Gecina and its former chairman, is to buy back the 49% of...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Perella, CA Immo said bidding for Austria's Europolis

The US investment boutique Perella Weinberg and Austrian listed property group CA Immo are bidding for the Europolis...

Saturday 22. May 2010
Apple, Andik said competing for E50m Barcelona asset of Banco Sabadell

US technology group Apple and Isac Andik, chairman of clothing retailer Mango have both made offers for the Banco...

Thursday 20. May 2010
JLL's German office value indicator VICTOR up 1% in 1Q10

The VICTOR indicator of prime office valuations in the Big Five German cities issued by realtor Jones Lang LaSalle rose...

Thursday 20. May 2010
Credit Suisse fund becomes 3rd Berlin proposals' casualty

The German open-end real estate funds management unit of Credit Suisse has closed its CS Euroreal fund to redemptions...

Thursday 20. May 2010
German housing prices slip 1.5% over year

Prices for owner-occupied housing in Germany fell 1.5% in the 12 months to first quarter 2010, and slipped by 0.9%...

Thursday 20. May 2010
Frankfurt's SEB AM pays E108m for Madrid office

SEB Asset Management, the Frankfurt-based investment manager of the Swedish banking group, has paid a total E108m for...

Thursday 20. May 2010
Protego-Cornerstone target E50m at German retail

The recent takeover of UK investment manager Protego by US-based Cornerstone has strengthened its ability to expand the...

Thursday 20. May 2010
European markets promising, but storm clouds threaten

The spread between yields for European property and government bonds is well above its long-term average, which...

Thursday 20. May 2010
Atrium European reverses loss in 1Q, positive trend continues

Atrium European Real Estate, a listed shopping centre developer and manager in central and eastern Europe, posted a...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Separating butterflies from moths to interpret media signals

FORWARD THINKING: By Allan Saunderson, Managing Editor, PIE

The problem with the media; the reason you cannot take...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
French Gecina's former chairman Rivero under investigation

Troubled French REIT/SIIC Gecina is on a path toward sorting out disputed corporate governance after shareholders voted...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
German RE funds propose 12mth minimum holding

The response from German open-end funds to highly disputed government proposals has not been long in coming. However...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
NL's Corio reverses loss in exciting first quarter

Dutch shopping centre REIT/FBI Corio boosted its direct result 13% in the first quarter, dubbed

exciting by CEO Gerard...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
PSP Swiss Property raises guidance after 1Q10

PSP Swiss Property, based in Zug just south of Zurich, raised EBITDA operating earnings outlook for 2010 to around...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Germany's IVG turns in first quarterly profit since 2Q08

Further writedowns on Bonn-based IVG's standard real estate portfolio in first quarter were supported by upward...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Hamburg's alstria nears REIT-equity minimum

German REIT alstria office posted first quarter revenues and funds from operations down 10% and recorded net profit of...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Tax on rents proposed to finance Grand Paris

The French listed property association has floated the idea of a new tax to finance the Grand Paris plan. Expanding on...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Pan-European total returns positive again - IPD

Commercial property across Europe produces a much-improved euro-denominated total return of 3.7% in 2009 according to...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
CEE fund Atlas Estates to delist from AIM

CEE property investor and developer Atlas Estates, listed on London's Alternative Investment Market and in Warsaw, is...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
Profectus wins first approval for E5bn Croatian Dream

The E5bn Croatian Dream project, a luxury tourist resort, has achieved its first approval for construction in the...

Wednesday 19. May 2010
LSR in $119m Saint Petersburg housing development

DSK Blok, a subsidiary of the Saint Petersburg-based LSR, has won a $119m contract for new housing construction from...

Monday 17. May 2010
Belgium's Banimmo raises E75m in bonds for acquisitions

Belgian real estate company Banimmo, a unit of French REIT/SIIC Affine, has raised E75m through an issue of five-year...

Monday 17. May 2010
French FdR buys MSREF stake in E59m office JV

Foncière des Régions, one of the largest French REIT/SIICs, has bought out Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund's 75% stake...

Monday 17. May 2010
NL's Corio reverses loss in exciting first quarter

Dutch shopping centre REIT/FBI Corio boosted its direct result 13% in the first three months of 2010 when major changes...

Monday 17. May 2010
Germany's IVG turns in first quarterly profit since 2Q08

Further writedowns on Bonn-based listed IVG's standard real estate portfolio in first quarter were well offset by...

Monday 17. May 2010
Hamburg's alstria moves closer to REIT-equity minimum

German REIT alstria office posted first quarter revenues and funds from operations down 10% from 1Q09 due to asset...

Monday 17. May 2010
PSP Swiss Property raises guidance after 1Q10

PSP Swiss Property, based in Zug just south of Zurich, raised EBITDA operating earnings outlook for 2010, after first...

Thursday 13. May 2010
German property funds propose 12mth minimum holding

The response from German open-end funds to the highly disputed federal government proposals has not been long in...

Thursday 13. May 2010
Belgian property returns 3.4% total in 2009

Investment in Belgian commercial property delivered a 3.4% total return last year, according to the Belgian Property...

Thursday 13. May 2010
Finnish residential prices up 11% year to March

Finnish residential prices in existing apartment buildings and terraced houses continued to increase in the first...

Thursday 13. May 2010
French REIT Gecina's former chairman Rivero said under investigation

Troubled French REIT/SIIC Gecina, France's third largest by assets, may be on its way toward sorting out its disputed...

Thursday 13. May 2010
Aberdeen's Degi sells London office for E77m to raise liquidity

Degi Europa, a German open-end property fund run by a unit of Aberdeen Property Investors, has sold its King William...

Thursday 13. May 2010
French REIT Gecina's former chairman Rivero said under investigatgon

Troubled French REIT/SIIC Gecina, France's third largest by assets, may be on its way toward sorting out its disputed...

Wednesday 12. May 2010
Tax on rents proposed to finance Grand Paris

The French listed property association has floated the idea of a new tax based on rental value as a way of financing...

Wednesday 12. May 2010
Property lending, development, mezzanine starts to pick up - CBRE

Bank lending to commercial property is beginning to recover, according to a report by realtor CB Richard Ellis. In...

Tuesday 11. May 2010
LSE's Matrix makes E212m Vienna deleveraging sale

The Guernsey-registered, LSE-listed Matrix European Real Estate Investment Trust has completed the disposal, for E212m,...

Tuesday 11. May 2010
Morgan Stanley closes German fund again, exits French office JV

The retrenchment of Morgan Stanley from the European real estate market went further this week with the complete...

Monday 10. May 2010
A E90bn question: Can German property funds survive planned reforms?

Proposed German federal government reforms to the Investment Law, which include an across-the-board 10% writedown to...

Monday 10. May 2010
French Altarea agrees E450m Cap 3000 mall purchase

French shopping centre REIT/SIIC Altarea Cogedim and main shareholders Predica and ABP are to buy Galeries Lafayette's...

Monday 10. May 2010
Grosvenor to invest E300m via French OPCI

UK investment and fund management group Grosvenor has won approval to launch its first French institutional OPCI...

Monday 10. May 2010
Frankfurt Opera Tower for sale again for E500m-E600m

US property group Tishman Speyer has placed the Opera Tower in Frankfurt up for sale again. The 168-metre office...

Monday 10. May 2010
Hamburg's TAG buys Franconofurt units in share deal

Hamburg-based property group TAG has acquired, using its own shares, 97% of the equity of FranconoWest and 100% of its...

Monday 10. May 2010
Pre-lets could herald upturn in Madrid

Four major pre-let contracts concluded in Madrid over the last four months could be a sign that the market for...

Monday 10. May 2010
Norwegian Property progresses on office, hotel split

Norwegian Property is pressing ahead with plans to divide the company into two separate firms, concentrating...

Monday 10. May 2010
AIM-listed Carpathian refinances E109m Riga mall

London's AIM-listed commercial property investor Carpathian has agreed a refinancing structure, allowing completion of...