CBRE has completed the acquisition of Atrium, its affiliate company in Norway, following increased demand from clients targeting commercial real estate opportunities across the Nordic countries.
Norway attracted a record €13.4 bn of commercial real estate investment in 2015, overtaking Sweden at the end of the year to become the largest Nordic property market. A significant portion of that figure was generated by cross-border investors.
Atrium was founded in 1993 and became a CBRE affiliate in 2000. Today the company is led by managing director John Olof Solberg and provides investment, leasing, occupier and valuation services to local and international clients.
CBRE and Atrium have worked together over the years, particularly with regard to Atrium’s fast-growing occupier outsourcing and capital markets businesses. The companies have cooperated on a number of investment mandates, which include one of Europe’s largest single-asset transactions in 2015, the sale-and-leaseback of Statoil’s 102,000 m2 global headquarters in Stavanger. US investor Colony Capital acquired the property for NOK 2.5 bn (now €260 mln) in June 2015.
John Olof Solberg, managing director of Atrium, will remain with the business as head of Norway for CBRE.
Martin Samworth, CEO, EMEA, CBRE, commented: 'We are delighted to welcome our Norwegian colleagues, with whom we have had a collaborative relationship for the last 15 years. We have seen significantly increased demand from clients targeting commercial real estate opportunities across the Nordics and, building on Atrium’s exceptional reputation and client base, together we can now enhance and expand the services we provide our clients.'
