Finance Institutional Investment
W. P. Carey Closes European Sale-Leaseback
July 21, 2008
By: Denise L. Meyer, Contributing Correspondent

W. P. Carey & Co. has reported that CPA(R):16 - Global, its publicly held non-traded REIT affiliate, has provided approximately 19 million euro of sale-leaseback financing to Schoeller Arca Systems through the acquisition of two manufacturing facilities located in Monheim, Germany and Nurieux, France.

SAS designs, develops and manufactures reusable containers, boxes and pallets that are manufactured to endure multiple trips. "The sale-leaseback of our facilities is enabling us to recapitalize our balance sheet," SAS CFO Hubert van Iwaarden said in a statement. Together with its new owners, One Equity Partners, the new financing will enable the company to grow, he advised.

The investment is just one of a number being made in Europe of late. Last week, W. P. Carey also purchased two properties in Soest and Bad Wunnenberg, Germany, from Arques Industries for approximately $58 million. The properties have been leased back to portfolio company Actebis, Europe’s third largest wholesale distributor of IT goods and services, under a triple net long term lease.

Speaking to CPN today, Jeff Lefleur (pictured), executive director for W.P. Carey International, noted, “We’ve been invested in Europe for about seven years, and have $2 billion in lease back properties that has been growing steadily. The slowdown in the U.S. economy has highlighted our presence in Europe, but it is not a shift in emphasis.”

Concurrent with the company’s 35th anniversary and its 10th year of investing in Europe, W. P. Carey also announced plans last week to open a second European office in Amsterdam to establish a European base for the management of its growing property portfolio there. The existing London-based team will continue to focus on the investment side of the firm’s European business.

 
Recent Institutional Investment Headlines
Korean Bank Confirms Interest in Buying Lehman Stake
Buzz about a possible sale of Lehman Brothers escalated today after a top official at state-owned Korea Development Bank confirmed that the bank was trying to form a consortium with private banks to buy a stake in the troubled investment banking firm.
Frank Campbell Equity Office Repositions, Refurbishes SoCal Portfolio
About 18 months after Equity Office Properties Inc. was acquired by The Blackstone Group, the company is still in existence with more than 300 properties totaling more than 50 million square feet.
Lehman May Accelerate Mortgage Asset Sales
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., in an effort to both staunch its massive losses and tap into a burgeoning market for commercial real estate debt, is reportedly exploring a strategy that would have it set up a company to acquire some of its mortgage assets.
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Fannie Fund to Halt Acquisitions
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. has reported that Mid-America Multifamily Fund I L.L.C., its joint venture in which it has a 1/3 interest, will not make additional acquisitions.
Equity One, DRA Advisors Take Florida Properties for $53M
A joint venture between Equity One Inc. and DRA Advisors has taken three new properties in Florida for $53 million. The properties will be 80 percent owned by Equity One and 20 percent owned by DRA Advisors. The three properties, all retail centers, are Plantation Marketplace in Plantation, Penn Dutch Plaza in Margate and 1900/2000 Offices in Boca Raton.