Aegila Capital Management, which plans to buy around $1bn (€836.2m) worth of assets in the next three years, has made its first investment with the acquisition of the global headquarters of Unilever in the Netherlands.

The newly formed real estate investment firm bought the property in Rotterdam from Real IS for €86.5m. The asset comprises two separate buildings with a combined net lettable area of 24,500sqm.

Launched in 2017, London-based Aegila is led by Giovanni Gregoratti as CEO, a former co-head of real estate investment banking in Europe Middle-East and Africa at Citigroup.

Aegila is backed by financial institutions Osool Asset Management BSC and BBK BSC, who are both joint-shareholders and seed investors.

The firm will invest in real estate assets across Continental Europe and the UK. 

Gregoratti said: “The combination of attractive market conditions in the Netherlands, Rotterdam’s vibrant economy, the quality of the location and the fact that one of the largest and most respected companies in the world is the main tenant made this opportunity a compelling investment case for our investors.

“In addition to this investment, we have identified a superb pipeline of opportunities across Europe and are looking forward to building our portfolio over the months to come.”