The asset management arm of insurer Swiss Life has climbed from number 13 in 2015 to number 2 in the 2016 edition of PropertyEU's Top 100 Investors ranking after reporting €4.4 bn of acquisitions and €3 bn of sales over the 12-month period.
The latter figure was enough to put Swiss Life AM at the top of the vendors sub-ranking.
The transactions took place across the group's growing pan-European platform, which at the time comprised the Swiss-based Swiss Life business, Swiss Life REIM in France and Corpus Sireo in Germany. The group invests in all property types, with offices and residential – including student housing – taking shares of 30%-plus each in the portfolio.
Expanding into the UK and logistics
In October the group expanded its reach in the UK with the acquisition of Mayfair Capital, an independent, London-based investment manager. Two months later the group formed Swiss Life KVG, an investment firm licensed to launch funds in the all-important German market.
Logistics, the one major sector to maintain investment levels in 2016 compared to the year before, has not been a significant constituent of Swiss Life AM's holdings. This began to change in September when the French business, acting on behalf of a group of institutional investors, took a 20% stake in Cargo, retailer Carrefour’s logistics property company.
'For the first time, Swiss Life REIM (France) is present in the logistics sector alongside a major distribution brand and with a unique portfolio characterised by its size and the quality of its assets,' said Swiss Life REIM (France) founder Frédéric Bôl.
The ranking is based on data gathered up to mid-February via our Top Investors survey, press releases and RCA's database. A data partner for the second year, RCA has provided additional volumes information, enabling the Deals and Dealmakers publication to increase its coverage and to profile 250 investors and investment managers active in Europe.
CBRE Global Investors in top spot
CBRE Global Investors has captured the number 1 position in the latest ranking of PropertyEU’s Top 100 Investors by total transaction volume.
The ranking measures investment and disposal activity in 2016 and appears in PropertyEU's Top 100 Investors, Deal and Dealmakers publication, which will be sent to PropertyEU subscribers. A limited number of additional copies are available during the Mipim international real estate fair in Cannes in mid-March.
