The Dot Group’s global student housing brand and operator, Yugo, is strengthening its US presence with the acquisition of Campus Advantage.
Campus Advantage is a student housing property management business and real estate investment management firm in the US. The acquisition adds 88 properties across 28 US states to Yugo’s portfolio, which already spans 14 countries and 120 cities.
Campus Advantage will be rebranded as Yugo US, with its founder, Mike Peter, becoming CEO of Yugo and joining the global C-Suite leadership team.
Jim Sholders will also be joining the business as president of Yugo US. He previously held CEO and COO roles at Campus Life & Style and spent 15 years at American Campus Communities before that.
Nicholas Porter, CEO of The Dot Group, said: “This is a defining moment for Yugo that will ignite a new movement for the US student housing industry. We don’t follow the market – we evoke a point of difference by setting the pace across our industry. With this transaction we have created an operational powerhouse to elevate the Yugo brand and deliver a US growth strategy to position Yugo as the leading student housing operator in the country.
“Combining Yugo’s unrivalled global expertise with Campus Advantage’s deep local market knowledge and operational excellence creates the scale and reach to do something truly different.”
Peter said: “This is an exciting time and a unique opportunity for our business and industry. Since I started Campus Advantage almost 23 years ago, I have been passionate about the industry, unlocking potential with great partners and supercharging growth.
“Joining Yugo, allows us to be part of something bigger with real momentum and provides the scale and scope to elevate our operations and asset values while securing new opportunities for our people, students and clients.”
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