IMMOFINANZ adds Italy as a new market to its successful European STOP SHOP retail park portfolio

• With market entry in Italy, IMMOFINANZ now operates more than 100 STOP SHOP retail parks in ten European countries
• Ten Italian STOP SHOP locations with a total investment volume of roughly EUR 250 million are planned by 2024
• The acquisition of a fully occupied retail park with approx. 27,000 sqm of rentable space in the north Italian city of San Fior, Veneto region, has already been completed
• IMMOFINANZ’s position as the leading retail park operator in Europe will be increased to roughly 140 locations through acquisitions and internal development projects

IMMOFINANZ is continuing the expansion of its successful STOP SHOP retail park brand by entering a new market in Western Europe – Italy. The first acquisition in this country is the fully occupied Parco Fiore in the north Italian city of San Fior with roughly 27,000 sqm of rentable space. The seller is the international investment bank Barings, which held the property in the European Core Property Fund Italy managed by Kryalos SGR. The sale price totalled approximately EUR 35.0 million.

“The Italian market is a perfect addition and a further, future growth driver for our successful European STOP SHOP retail platform. With a population of over 60 million, Italy is one of the largest countries in Europe. An extensive market study showed that the available retail structures combined with the purchasing power and consumer behaviour, above all in central and northern Italy, create significant potential for establishing modern retail parks under the STOP SHOP brand. Our plans call for ten locations with an investment volume of up to EUR 250 million by 2024“, explained Dietmar Reindl, COO of IMMOFINANZ, on the strategy.

IMMOFINANZ has focused on this cost-efficient and crisis-resistant asset class with its very good returns for many years and identified the inherent potential at an early stage. “The latest crisis again confirms one important point: Retail parks with an emphasis on everyday products, excellent transportation connections and a diverse tenant mix are the clear winners and very popular with our international tenants and with customers. Italy, where this product has not yet been established in the quality segment, offers numerous possibilities“, added Reindl. 

Attractive tenant mix and easily accessible location

This retail park, which will operate as the STOP SHOP San Fior, is located 37 kilometers north of Treviso and 60 kilometers north of Venice, in the heart of the Veneto region. The catchment area within a radius of 30 minutes by car has nearly 100,000 residents. The Veneto region is one of the strongest economic and high-income regions in Italy with purchasing power substantially above the average for the country and also for the entire EU.

The property, with its 1,500 parking spaces, is conveniently located along the SS 13 Pontebbana state road which leads from Venice to Udine and Tarvis and then on to Austria. The retail park was completed in two phases during 2017 and 2019 and has a very attractive tenant mix with international retailers like C&A, Takko, MediaWorld, Decathlon, Roadhouse Grill and Burger King plus well-known Italian brands that include Mega (supermarket), Globo and Terranova (fashion) and Casa Tua (furniture). The remaining term of the rental agreements (WAULT) totals roughly 7.7 years.

ESG highlight

One highlight of this retail park is the photovoltaic equipment that is currently under construction and will feed green electricity into the public network. The new portfolio property supports IMMOFINANZ’s sustainability demands for all locations. IMMOFINANZ launched a project in 2019 to install photovoltaic equipment at STOP SHOP retail parks, whereby the most widespread installation is currently taking place in Austria.

This latest acquisition will increase IMMOFINANZ’s STOP SHOP portfolio to 109 locations (incl. development projects) in ten countries. The 99 standing investments have roughly 750,000 sqm of rentable space and a carrying amount of approximately EUR 1.1 billion.

Details on the STOP SHOP portfolio

STOP SHOP is IMMOFINANZ‘s European retail park brand. STOP SHOPs are likeable and convenient local suppliers with a catchment area of roughly 30,000 to 150,000 residents and offer a broad range of products with good value for money. With efficient transport connections and extensive parking, these retail parks concentrate on price-conscious “smart shoppers” who value easy accessibility. The STOP SHOP portfolio had an occupancy rate of 98.0% as of 31 March 2021 and a return of 7.9% based on invoiced rents.

IMMOFINANZ‘s STOP SHOP portfolio, including the latest acquisition, includes 99 retail parks (standing investments) in ten countries: Slovakia (16 STOP SHOPs), Slovenia (14), Hungary (14), Serbia (14), Austria (13), Czech Republic (12), Poland (10), Croatia (4), Italy (1) and Romania (1).