Torus has signed a preliminary sales agreement for Phase II of Alchemia office complex in Gdańsk with PHN SPV 33, a subsidiary of the Polski Holding Nieruchomości (PHN) Group. The value of the transaction was €60.8 million. Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction.
Alchemia is a Class A office complex located at 411 Grunwaldzka Avenue in Gdańsk. It is the most modern multifunctional complex in Tri-City, which will ultimately consist of four independent buildings featuring offices, ground floor retail and sports and leisure facilities. Alchemia will be delivered in four phases of which the second one was the subject of the transaction. The complex benefits from excellent public transport links, with numerous bus routes on its doorstep and direct access to the platform of the Fast City Train, interconnecting the whole conurbation.
Alchemia Phase II was completed in October 2015 and comprises two towers of six and eight storeys with separate reception areas and a four-storey link building. The gross leaseable area of Alchemia Phase II amounts to over 25,000 sqm. Anchor tenants are State Street (occupying an entire office tower), Wipro IT Services and Alexander Mann Solutions. The scheme was designed by a renowned APA Wojciechowski Architekci architectural studio and is one of a few projects in Poland to be awarded with LEED Platinum certificate.
Torus is a development company established in 2002 in Gdańsk. The company specializes in development and leasing of modern office space and investing in residential, hotel and industrial sectors. In August 2015 Torus sold Phase I of Alchemia office complex to a joint venture between a fund managed by Bluehouse Capital Advisor and an investment vehicle comprising Polish investors and managed by independent Polish fund and asset manager REINO Partners – REINO Dywidenda Plus SA.
The Polski Holding Nieruchomości Group is one of the largest companies in the commercial real estate market in Poland in terms of the market value of its portfolio, which includes 144 properties with a total value of PLN 2 billion and 700 ha of land across the country. PHN’s operations are focused in Warsaw and the major regional cities, including Poznań, Łódź, Wrocław and the Tri-City. The Company has long experience in the office, commercial and logistics sector, both in real estate management and investment project implementation. PHN is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
“In accordance with our strategy, we are intensifying our activities in the area of acquisition. We are very happy to announce that after finalizing two transactions in the last months, we have signed a preliminary agreement on the purchase of subsequent property – ALCHEMIA II office building characterized by a very good location, high standard of offered space, and reputable tenants. Purchasing the ALCHEMIA II office building, which meets our investment criteria, will enrich the Group’s property portfolio with modern commercial space,” said Włodzimierz Stasiak, Member of the Management Board of Polski Holding Nieruchomości S.A. for Finance, also responsible for acquisitions.
“We are very pleased that Alchemia II found the new owner so quickly. Indeed the pace of transaction and involvement of both Parties has been extraordinary. I want to thank both teams for hard work and great efforts. This is a fantastic ending of Torus’ record-breaking year with over 25,000 sqm of leased space and two completed investment transactions. It is also very important sign of growing importance of the Tri-City real estate market at both ends – leasing of office space and capital investments. We are looking forward to completion of Alchemia Phase III which started construction just few months ago,” said Sławomir Gajewski, President of the Management Board at Torus.
“The transaction of Alchemia Phase II sets a new benchmark high in the Tri-City office market and pays tribute to the continued success story of Torus. The Alchemia complex is clearly one of the highest quality developments in Poland, which is evidenced by the strong interest of occupiers as well as core investors. Never before have Polish regional cities seen such high leasing and investment activity as now, and we forecast this to continue over the next 3 years,” said Soren Rodian Olsen, Head of Office & Industrial Investments at Cushman & Wakefield.
