Industry News

UK investment manager Octopus Investments announced on Wednesday that it has extended its tentacles into Europe for the first time in its 24-year history. The group has opened a new Spanish office, located on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid’s financial district. The office represents the first permanent location for Octopus in mainland Europe, as it looks to build a more global footprint and expand the firm’s existing investment capabilities. Octopus is principally focussed on the living and healthcare real...

Niam , a leading real estate fund manager in the Nordics, is pleased to announce the final close of Niam Nordic VIII. The fund has successfully secured EUR 805 million in equity commitments, excluding co-investment capital. This milestone establishes Niam Nordic VIII as the second largest opportunistic fund in Niam's history. Over the past 12 months, the team has successfully deployed a majority of this capital into primarily the Nordic residential and logistics sectors along with other opportunity driven investments...

Patrizia has reached almost €1 bn of equity commitments for its Smart City Infrastructure Fund after the latest round of commitments. The German real assets investor agreed an extra €200 mln from Dutch asset manager APG on behalf of its pension fund client, ABP. That takes total equity commitments to €950 mln and as much as €1.4 bn when counting a $500 mln co-investment side-car vehicle. ABP’s new investment is aimed at expanding the fund’s Italian smart streetlighting platform, following...

The UK's Scape Group, a specialist in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and living units, has appointed Martijn Vos as CEO Europe for its flagship brands, Scape and Morro. The hire marks a milestone in the group’s plans to expand its footprint into the European market. Vos, who brings nearly 20 years of experience in real estate investment, will spearhead Scape Group’s European investment activities, focusing on new student accommodation and co-living investments. He joins the group from Abu Dhabi Investment...

Europa, a pan-European real estate investment specialist, has strengthened its investment management team with the appointment of Aqil Nagji as director, fund management. Nagji will be based in London and work initially as deputy fund manager alongside Simon Hooper, who is retiring at the end of the year, before taking over Hooper's responsibilities as fund manager. In this role, he will support Amirali Kasraie as head of investment management across all of Europa's funds. Nagji joins Europa after over five...

Arrow Capital Partners, a specialist investor, developer and manager of real estate in Europe and Asia-Pacific, has appointed Cormac Dunne as head of transactions, Europe. In this role, Dunne will be responsible for originating investment opportunities across Europe, with particular focus on the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Nordics and Ireland, working closely with Arrow’s regional European heads and local teams to originate transactions for its five key growth strategies. He will be based in Arrow’s London office. The move is...

Feldberg Capital has appointed Luke Duckworth as fund manager for Cora, its £500 million (€593 million) brown-to-green workplace fund targeting refurbishment opportunities in London’s West End. Based in Feldberg’s London office, he will be responsible for managing Cora’s assets, investor relations and supporting ongoing capital raising for the fund. Duckworth joins from Nuveen Real Estate where he was assistant fund manager of a €2 billion fund that invested in diversified opportunities in European cities. Prior to this he worked in...

Niam , in collaboration with Nordsten Development , has acquired 60,000 square meters of land for logistics development in Palmbohult, Örebro, Sweden. The property has a strategic location with good access to Stockholm, Oslo, and Gothenburg. Plans for the site include the construction of a state-of-the-art logistics facility of approximately 24,000 square meters. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2024, and the building will be environmentally certified according to BREEAM standards, aiming for an Outstanding rating. Source...

Real estate investor Altera Vastgoed N.V. ("Altera") has further expanded its retail portfolio with the acquisition of a convenience retail investment at Molenplein in Heerenveen. The complex comprises three retail units with a Jumbo and Aldi supermarket, an Action non-food discount store and five residential apartments above the stores. The complex was built in 1988 and renovated in 2016, when the retail area underwent a complete makeover. It occupies a strategic location directly adjacent to Heerenveen’s main shopping area. By...