NewsBite

Nick Lenaghan

Yesterday

Aware Super’s $1b plan for serviced apartments in Europe

The fund has taken majority control of an “aparthotel” operator, continuing a push into global real estate.

This Month

Race for space spurs CBD office rebound

Green shoots are emerging most strongly in Sydney, where demand increased rents in the best buildings by 9.1 per cent in the past financial year.

Perichs’ dairy giant hands on Vic farm to Qld egg producer

In a deal worth close to $55m, one of the country’s biggest dairying businesses has sold a Victorian farm to one of Australia’s major egg producers.

Famed tea growers’ WA farm in new hands after sale exceeding $50m

The Oaks, near Esperance on WA’s south coast, has been in the hands of the Russell family, descendants of a famed British tea entrepreneur, for 50 years.

Chinese e-commerce giant buys first Aussie warehouse. And it’s big.

The Chinese e-commerce operator is building a network of logistics hubs around the world. This is its first in Australia.

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Lawson Grains rejigs Riverina holdings with $40m listing

Lawson Grains is one of the country’s biggest corporate grain growers, now controlled by Australian fund manager New Forests and its Canadian partner, AIMCo.

US funds giant buys into self-storage boom

Barings has taken a majority stake in Swift Storage as big players jostle for exposure to the sector’s estimated $2 billion annual turnover. 

NT station famed for big rains in new hands after four decades

Cattle breeders Tony and Julie Harrower put Dorisvale Station, south of Darwin, on the market two years ago after more than 40 years of ownership.

‘The horse is about to bolt’: Auctions boom as rates fall

Buoyed by two interest rates so far this year, with a third looming this week, buyers have pushed clearance rates above 70 per cent for the past four weeks.

Goodman launches Hong Kong fund centred around data centres

Goodman is leaning harder into the worldwide demand for data centres. It has a $100 billion global pipeline of projects. It just needs capital to drive it.

This $215b Asian investor just went private. Two Aussies are in charge

Australia is one of the biggest markets for ESR, which has just been delisted in Hong Kong. Its new president and chairman are well-known names here.

Kent Robbins head of property UniSuper.

Why this $140b industry super fund likes shopping malls so much

By 2030, a growing population will need much more retail space to cater for its shopping needs. Even allowing for online buying, we are running out of malls.

June

Rates down, demand up: sun shines on property stocks

The “setup for real estate” hasn’t been more positive since the start of COVID-19, UBS says.

Why one of world’s biggest landlords isn’t building more rentals here

Blackstone allocates one-quarter of its real estate portfolio to rental housing globally. In Australia, it has just two build-to-rent facilities.

Kathleen McCarthy, global co-head of Blackstone Real Estate.

Blackstone says Crown overhauling the ‘fun stuff’ after licence return

The private equity giant says it is investing in the casino’s hotels and restaurants after repairing governance and money-laundering risk issues.

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Keyton’s Ardency Kennedy Place.

A retirement village inside a uni? This operator is planning one

As Australia ages, there’s plenty of institutional money looking to play the long game in aged living. Aware Super-backed operator Keyton has big plans.

Melbourne Airport is one of the most prized infrastructure assets in the country and is owned by some of Australia’s biggest investors.

Future Fund ditches Dexus as manager of its Melbourne Airport stake

The $300 billion fund has only just been approved to manage assets internally. Dexus is already fighting with Australian Pacific Airports Corporation investors.

Lowy family goes shopping for Melbourne mall in $440m deal

A fund manager, backed by the Lowy family, has bought its first major shopping mall. It’s also a return to the sector for Westfield co-founder Sir Frank Lowy.

Cbus Property steps up as white knight for Sydney’s ‘Halo’ tower

The Sydney CBD site hosts an ambitious proposal for a 55-storey hybrid timber tower. But the plan brought with it considerable financial obligations.

HESTA’s big plan to invest in European student beds, self-storage

Big super funds have long had positions in real estate including offshore, but the pressure to go global is increasing as they outgrow opportunities at home.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/nick-lenaghan-j7gcq