Black Creek Industrial REIT IV Buys Prologis Portfolio for $920M

The 48 properties include Class A and B industrial holdings that are currently 96.4% occupied.

Ares Management Corp.’s Black Creek Industrial REIT IV has acquired 48 industrial properties from affiliates of Prologis for approximately $920 million. 

The 48 properties, which are located across 13 US markets, include 8.3 million square feet of Class A and B industrial holdings that are currently 96.4% occupied.

“This transaction demonstrates our continued commitment to the industrial sector, which is one of the strongest in commercial real estate backed by growing investor interest,” said Raj Dhanda, partner and Global Chief Operating Officer of the Ares Real Estate Group said in a prepared statement. “The addition of these properties not only further diversifies our holdings, but they are located in markets that are essential in linking national and regional supply chains, which is critical as we continue to see e-commerce demand increase.”

On July 1, 2021, a subsidiary of Ares assumed the management of BCIIV as part of an agreement to acquire Black Creek Group’s US real estate investment advisory and distribution business. The deal was announced in May.

As of March 31, 2021, Black Creek had approximately $11.6 billion of assets under management in core and core-plus real estate strategies across two non-traded REITs and various institutional fund vehicles. Black Creek, which has more than 100 investment professionals operating across eight offices throughout the US, has experience in major property types, including industrial, multifamily, office and retail.

Rent growth has been strong in the industrial sector, increasing 9.7% year-over-year so far, according to CBRE. In addition, taking rents have eclipsed asking rents for industrial space exceeding 100,000 square feet, with bulk warehouses leading the charge.

CBRE’s James Breeze predicts that as industrial vacancy continues at near-record lows, taking rent growth will continue to push past asking rents at least in the short term.

“Consequently, taking rents will remain a better gauge of the market’s strength than more traditional metrics,” Breeze says.