Carlyle invests in logistics assets as Covid-19 drives e-commerce demand

Carlyle has acquired a portfolio of logistics assets in France and Germany in a sale-and-leaseback transaction, as a response to a pandemic-driven rise in e-commerce demand.

The portfolio comprises 27 high-quality distribution logistics assets totalling 158,000 square meters of space focused on parcel-delivery. The assets are located near major urban and trade areas across France and Germany, the firm said in a statement.

Marc-Antoine Bouyer, managing director on the Carlyle Europe Realty advisory team, said both countries are “core” to the firm’s investment strategy in Europe. The acquisition reflects the interest in logistics and distribution, which has seen “rapidly growing delivery volumes accelerated by strong growth in e-commerce”, he said.

The investment was made via Carlyle Europe Realty (CER), a €540m pan-European real estate fund, closed in June last year. Financial details were not disclosed.

The CER vehicle targets opportunistic investments across Europe, focusing on “buy and build” platforms in key segments such as logistics, residential, student accommodation, retail, hospitality and co-working.

The private equity house with $221bn in assets under management around the world is not alone in trying to capitalise from the accelerated shift to e-commerce in Europe.

In April, KKR took a majority stake in European investor and manager of industrial and logistics assets Mirastar. In May, the US-based firm continued its move into European logistics real estate with the acquisition of Etche France from the BMF Group and its co-founders.

Source: Private Equity News