AXA IM Alts acquires 400-bed student accommodation development in Florence, Italy, for c. €40 million
- 06 December 2021
AXA IM Alts, a global leader in alternative investments with €168 billion of assets under management1 , announces that it has agreed to acquire, via a forward-purchase agreement, a c. 400-bed purpose built student accommodation (‘PBSA’) scheme in Florence, Italy for c. €40 million. The acquisition has been made on behalf of clients of AXA IM Alts from CDS Holding, who has been retained as the developer for the project. CRM Students, the Pan-European student housing specialist, has been appointed as the asset’s operator.
With all planning permissions obtained and construction already underway, the asset is due to complete in 2023, and will comprise c. 400 fully equipped studio rooms across six floors. The building will offer a range of high-quality amenities and communal spaces, including a gym, cinema, and games room, in addition to shared lounge and kitchen areas and a lobby. Students will also benefit from a number of outdoor spaces, including a landscaped courtyard garden and a rooftop terrace, while also having access to plentiful parking spaces via an underground car park. The building is being developed in line with AXA IM Alts’ global sustainability strategy and will target either BREEAM or LEED Gold sustainability certifications.
The asset is adjacent to the University of Florence’s new Novoli campus and borders a 10-hectare public park, while the city centre is easily accessible via a ten-minute tram ride. With a population of c. 62,000 domestic and international students, including c. 23,400 ‘mobile’ students requiring suitable accommodation2 , Florence is a key Italian hub for higher education, but suffers from a chronic undersupply of purpose-built student accommodation with just four beds available for 100 students, strongly positioning the asset to capture this excess demand3 .
This transaction represents AXA IM Alts’ first PBSA acquisition in Italy and leverages the business’ deep-seated residential expertise and local market knowledge, with AXA IM Alts managing c. €25 billion4 of residential assets globally, including c. €3.5 billion of student accommodation assets, spread across 15 countries5 .
- ENDS -
- U291cmNlOiBBWEEgSU0gQWx0cyB1bmF1ZGl0ZWQgZGF0YSBhc+KAr29m4oCvMzAgU2VwdGVtYmVyIDIwMjE=
- U291cmNlOiBVcmJpU3RhdDogbWFya2V0IGFuYWx5c2lzIGZvciBhIG5ldyBzdHVkZW50IGhvdXNpbmcgZGV2ZWxvcG1lbnQgcHJvamVjdCAoTWF5IDIwMTkp
- U291cmNlOiBVcmJpU3RhdDogbWFya2V0IGFuYWx5c2lzIGZvciBhIG5ldyBzdHVkZW50IGhvdXNpbmcgZGV2ZWxvcG1lbnQgcHJvamVjdCAoTWF5IDIwMTkp
- U291cmNlOiBBWEEgSU0gdW5hdWRpdGVkIGRhdGEgYXMgb2YgU2VwdGVtYmVyIDIwMjEgKGluY2x1ZGluZyBhc3NldHMgaW4gZGV2ZWxvcG1lbnQp
- U291cmNlOiBBWEEgSU0gQWx0cyB1bmF1ZGl0ZWQgZGF0YSBhc+KAr29m4oCvMzAgU2VwdGVtYmVyIDIwMjE=
Disclaimer
This document is aimed solely at the media and is for information purposes only. The opinions expressed here are the views of the author and do not constitute investment advice. This is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or subscribe to financial instruments, an offer to sell investment funds or an offer of financial services. This press release is as dated. They do not necessarily represent the views of any company within the AXA Investment Managers Group and may be subject to change without notice. This does not constitute a Financial Promotion as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority. This is for information purposes only. No financial decisions should be made on the basis of the information provided. Past performance is not necessarily representative of future results: performance is not constant over time and the value of investments may fall as well as rise.