CBRE Investment Acquires $4.9B Logistics Portfolio
The 57-asset portfolio is trading hands with Hillwood Investment Properties.
Entities affiliated with CBRE Investment Management are buying a 57-asset, 28.4-million square-foot logistics portfolio valued at $4.9 billion from Hillwood Investment Properties.
The portfolio includes 33 US assets, totaling 19.2 million square feet, and 24 assets across Germany, Poland and the UK, totaling 9.2 million square feet.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and CBRE Investment Management expects to close on the assets in stages through its investment products in the US and Europe.
CBRE Investment Management formed a global sector-specific team in June 2021 to maximize its global logistics credentials.
“Backed by a $35 billion AUM global logistics platform and a skilled team with deep domain expertise, we are positioned to be one of the world’s leading investors and operators of logistics assets,” said CBRE Investment Management CEO Chuck Leitner in prepared remarks.
As prices continue to escalate in this space, some observers are beginning to worry about the potential for a short-term bubble.
CJ Follini, principal of NOYACK Capital, for instance, has been concerned about the prices paid for dry industrial assets for some time.
“When I learn of portfolio buys such as this one for large scale drawing industrial, I always ask myself ‘Is there really an opportunity to enhance revenue and gain attractive returns or is this just a way to temporarily park capital considering the unattractive investment alternatives?’’ Follini tells GlobeSt.com.
Yet the industrial sector, including logistics assets, show little sign of diminished activity, propelled in large part by e-commerce growth. “Logistics facilities are a key part of the industrial REIT sector and have proven to be a critical part of the supply chain over the past two years, delivering to consumers goods bought online during the pandemic,” Calvin Schnure, senior vice president, Research & Economic Analysis at Nareit, tells GlobeSt.com. “REITs continue to invest in these facilities to support businesses and consumers in the years ahead.”