News
CA IMMO: ACQUISITION OF EUROPOLIS AG COMPLETED ON 1 JANUARY 2011
• CA Immo strengthens market presence on CEE and SEE markets
• Ede Gulyas to head CA Immo Management Hungary from April 2011
With property assets of approximately € 1.5 bn, the real estate company Europolis has been established in the CEE/SEE region since 1990. With effect from 1 January 2011, Europolis became part of the CA Immo Group, which operates in Central Europe. For several years, Hungary has been one of the Group's main markets. Taking Europolis into account, the CA Immo Group's property assets in Hungary amount to some € 400 m; over the long term, these Hungarian assets will be retained in the portfolio or further expanded. The regional branch offices of Europolis and CA Immo in Eastern Europe will be merged by April 2011, with all of the Group's business in the region managed under the CA Immo brand from this point. CA Immo Management Hungary is the local subsidiary that will be responsible for overseeing the high quality asset portfolio in Hungary (which comprises nine office properties, two logistics parks in Budapest and a specialist retail centre in Györ) from April 2011. The newly formed subsidiary will draw together the expertise of Europolis Real Estate Asset Management GmbH (EREAM) and Casa Property GmbH, which has operated successfully in the field of property management for many years. The newly established company will be headed by Ede Gulyas.
According to Dr. Bruno Ettenauer, Chief Executive Officer of CA Immo, “The acquisition of Europolis has enabled us to consolidate our position as one of Central Europe's leading real estate companies and raise our profile on the key market of Hungary for the long term.”
Ede Gulyas, head of CA Immo Hungary, says that, “By merging EREAM and Casa Property, we are pooling our expertise in order to be an even more important player on the Hungarian market in the future. This synergy will produce benefits for both our company and the tenants of our properties. Being part of a financially robust international group is the best way for us to build our presence on the Hungarian market.”
About CA Immo
CA Immo was founded in 1987. The company invests in commercial real estate (and in particular offices) in Austria, Germany and Eastern Europe. Taking account of properties worth some € 1.5 bn acquired through the takeover of Europolis, CA Immo's property assets at the start of 2011 stand at just over € 5 bn; the CEE/SEE and Germany each account for around 40 % of this total. The Group's portfolio in Hungary comprises some 300,000 sqm of rentable effective area with an approximate value of € 400 m; properties include the Capital Square, City Gate and IP West office buildings in Budapest. CA Immo has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1988, with free float of around 90 % at the present time.