CBRE GI targets over €8b of transactions for 2016

CBRE Global Investors - number 2 in PropertyEU's Top 100 Investors ranking by 2015 transaction volume in Europe - said on Tuesday that is targeting €8.3 bn of transactions in the EMEA region in 2016.

The forecast for the 2016 transaction volume includes €5.3 bn of acquisitions as it looks to invest increased real estate allocations from existing and new clients. Overall, the planned spend is down on the 2015 performance.

CBRE Global Investors claimed second place in PropertyEU's Top 100 Investors ranking for 2015 following €5.3 bn of investments and just over €5 bn of disposals last year. The investor's total 2015 trading volume - that includes activity by CBRE GI and its former multi-manager unit, CBRE Global Investment Partnership - came to €10.4 bn.

'Our clients continue to put faith in our ability to find attractive risk weighted opportunities, actively manage their assets and create value through the cycle,' said Sophie van Oosterom, CIO EMEA.

'We are closely watching market events globally and currently still see good levels of liquidity; the continued gap with bond yields means the case for property remains attractive. Our investment programmes will continue to be based on input from our strong research teams and our team of local on-the-ground experts.'

Retail will again be a major focus with current requirements amounting to around €2.4 bn, or 45% of the total. In 2015, around 60% of the group's acquisitions were in retail, with the company currently managing €14.7 bn of retail assets. The company investment interest also includes significant dry powder for logistics (€1.6 bn) and offices (€1 bn) respectively.

'We completed over 200 transactions last year in EMEA and have a well-earned reputation for executing the deals we agree. We have a strong pipeline of deals currently under offer and continue to source new opportunities across our EMEA Platform,' added John Mulqueen, head of transactions EMEA.

For disposals, which are expected to amount to €3 bn in 2016, the company will continue to undertake an orderly sale of assets from end-of-term programmes and capitalise on opportunities to harvest gains where appropriate.