ARTICLES LABELLED WITH TAG Immofinanz

With the ending of the acceptance period of its takeover offer for Immofinanz, CPI Property Group announced that it will soon hold at least 53.33% of Immofinanz’s share capital and voting rights.

The Executive Board and Supervisory Board of Immofinanz have issued supplementary statements on the announcement by CPI Property Group SA (CPIPG) of the increase in the offer price to €23.00 per share (cum dividend) and increase in CPIPG’s investment in Immofinanz to roughly 48.18% through the purchase of shares from S Immo AG. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board still view the improved offer price as too low given the successful development of Immofinanz and the current value of the company. Moreover, the offer price does not include an appropriate control premium in connection with CPIPG’s intention to attain control over Immofinanz.

Czech businessman Radovan Vítek has amassed a fortune estimated at around €4.1 billion while increasing his influence in the European property sector. Vítek holds firm control of CPI Property Group, the company he founded with assets topping €11 billion and has gradually built majority stakes in Globalworth and Immofinanz, both competing groups in Central and Eastern Europe. By purchasing controlling participations in these companies, Vítek could build his property investment empire across CEE to the tune of around €20 billion and 7 million sqm of developed space, covering every country and asset class in the region. This story is a prime example of the rise and strength of local capital in CEE, in addition to the gradual decline of influence held by Austrian companies over the region.

CPI Property Group and a subsidiary of S Immo (CEE Immobilien GmbH) signed an agreement concerning the acquisition of 17,543,937 Immofinanz shares, corresponding to a participation of approx. 12.69% of the total nominal share capital of Immofinanz. The agreement also covers the acquisition of additional shares eventually tendered into the voluntary partial tender offer for shares of Immofinanz published by CEE Immobilien GmbH on 23 December 2021. The purchase price per share amounts to €23.00 cum dividend. Following the transaction, CPIPG has undertaken to improve its takeover offer price (from the previous €22.70) in accordance with the Austrian Takeover Act accordingly.

CPI Property Group is continuing its efforts towards the takeover of Immofinanz. It has increased its holding in Immofinanz to 35.5% and subsequently also increased its offer price.

The Executive Board, Supervisory Board and Works Council of Immofinanz issued statements in which they indicate that the offer price of €21.20 per share is viewed as not attractive and recommend that investors not accept the offer by CPIPG for Immofinanz’s shares and convertible bonds.

In early December 2021, S Immo announced a partial takeover to the shareholders of Immofinanz, only three days after a similar offer was made by CPI Property Group. Today, the Executive Board, Supervisory Board and Works Council of Immofinanz have issued statements in which they indicate that the offer price of €23.00 per share is viewed as not sufficiently attractive. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board, therefore, recommend that shareholders not accept the partial offer by S Immo for approximately 10% of the outstanding Immofinanz shares.

Immofinanz is following its market entry in Italy with the expansion of its Stop Shop retail park brand across the Adriatic region in line with the corporate strategy. In Croatia, plans call for an increase in the number of Stop Shops from the current level of 4 to more than 20 locations over the medium term. The completion of a newly developed Stop Shop and the expansion of an existing location is scheduled for the first half of 2022. Detailed market and location analyses indicated high demand by the Croatian population for decentralised, local supplies. This conclusion led to a decision by Immofinanz to secure 22 sites in medium-sized Croatian cities for the development of Stop Shop retail parks. The purchase price for these sites totals approximately €80 million.

Immofinanz announced its new Net Zero Emission Strategy. Plans call for a reduction of 60% (below the 2019 level) in all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – and by 2040, the company intends to be emission-free along the entire value chain.

Immofinanz has recently received takeover offers from both CPI Property Group and S Immo in the latest chapter of the Austrian takeover saga. During the last couple of years, the three major Austrian real estate companies – Immofinanz, CA Immo and S Immo – have received (and usually rejected) numerous takeover offers with mergers in almost every possible combination also having been discussed. To help its readers keep track, Property Forum has put together a timeline of all the offers that were announced since 2014.