Investcorp sells UK industrial and logistics assets in $145m deal

The properties were sold to three buyers following successful asset management strategy

Investcorp sold eight industrial and logistics warehouses located in Doncaster, Leeds, Bilston, Glasgow and Motherwell in the UK to real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson. Photo: Investcorp

Investcorp, the alternative asset manager that counts Mubadala Investment Company as its biggest shareholder, completed the sale of a portfolio of 10 industrial and logistics assets in the UK to separate buyers as it seeks to cash in on demand for industrial assets while e-commerce booms.

The properties, which are located around the UK, were sold to global property investment company Kennedy Wilson, to Realty Income and to Investra Capital for £108.4 million ($145.3m), Investcorp said in a statement on Sunday.

The properties were sold after the Bahraini asset manager implemented a strategy which involved significant lease extensions and improvements in revenue.

“The industrial and logistics real estate assets are essential for driving e-commerce and supporting supply chains, and we remain focused on investing in these sectors,” Khulood Ebrahim, real estate product specialist at Investcorp, said.

The demand for industrial and logistics assets has been rising because of greater e-commerce activity during the coronavirus pandemic. Europe's e-commerce market grew to €757 billion in 2020, up about 10 per cent from €690bn a year earlier, according to 2021 European E-commerce Report by trade bodies Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce.

Investcorp acquired the assets during the second half of 2017 for £69m and sold them last month.

The sale to Kennedy Wilson comprised a portfolio of eight “mid box” industrial and logistics warehouses located in the established distribution markets of Doncaster, Leeds, Bilston, Glasgow and Motherwell. The second sale, to Realty Income, comprised a modern detached industrial unit located in Hull, totalling 270,388 square feet, according to the company.

The third sale, to Investra Capital, comprised a collection of manufacturing and distribution units located in Tamworth, totalling 201,309 sq ft.

Since launching its European real estate business in 2017, Investcorp has invested approximately €1bn into 80 properties across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium, the company said.