GRI Club Europe

What impact will global trade wars have on European real estate? ?? With new tariffs looming and growing pressure to raise defence spending, the ECB’s decision to cut interest rates on Thursday (6th) may not be such a straightforward choice to make when it comes to the two further cuts the market had been expecting. Read more about the fallout from the US government’s imposition of tariffs on key trading partners, fears of a “Trumpcession”, and the EU’s acceleration of trade talks with India in the latest edition of GRI Insights Europe, in which we also look back at a busy week for GRI Club events in London and share details about the biggest urban regeneration project in Spain. ??? Subscribe to receive weekly GRI Club Europe newsletter updates! #griclub #realestate #insights #newsletter #weekly

What are the top benefits of joining GRI Club? Hear first-hand from members who have closed deals, expanded their networks, and gained valuable market insights. ?? GRI Club brings together key decision-makers in a relaxed, informal environment to create an exclusive space for high-level discussions and strategic connections. From casual networking to discovering investment opportunities and new partners, our esteemed members share why GRI Club is an essential platform for top real estate professionals. ?? Discover even more reasons here: https://lnkd.in/dQUB5k3R #griclub #realestate #investmentopportunities #businessconnections #decisionmakers

At the Chairmen’s Retreat Reunion Lunch last week (Feb 26th), GRI Club's most senior members convened for a carefully curated opportunity to discuss the ever-increasing role being played by advanced analytics and artificial intelligence in the real estate industry. ?? This invite-only experience began with an in-depth exploration of the impacts these rapidly evolving systems are having from discussion provocateur Ben Dimson, Partner at McKinsey & Company, who outlined the role of AI in real estate and business operations, covering issues such as technology adoption, data management, automation, and workforce transformation. Ben’s introduction set the context for an open and insightful conversation on the practical applications of these technologies in lease management, predictive analytics, and customer interactions. ?? Participants shared their experiences with AI implementation and examined its limitations in reasoning and decision-making, concerns over data privacy, and how to maintain a competitive advantage in an AI-driven industry. We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our esteemed GRI Club Retreat-level members who participated in this unique opportunity to examine the industry-wide effects of these potentially game-changing technologies. #griclub #realestate #artificialintelligence #technology #networking

At the GRI UK & Europe Reunion 2025 in London last week, we welcomed more than 230 of the biggest decision-makers in global real estate for the chance to share insights, peer-test strategies, reconnect with old friends, and and explore new opportunities for deal flow across the region. ?? The discussions covered several key issues, including the return of liquidity to debt markets, the dominance of refinancing over new deals, the growing shift towards build-to-rent in the living sector, the stabilisation of retail assets as investors reassess physical stores, the crucial need for selective asset strategies in value-add investments, and overcoming the significant power constraints facing data centres. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this event such a success, with special appreciation for our thought leaders and discussion provocateurs, Annabel Singh (City of London Corporation), Carol Hodgson (J.P. Morgan Asset Management), Frances Haque (Santander UK), Robert D. (Greater London Authority), and Shravan Joshi MBE (City of London Corporation), and of course to all of our incredible GRI Club members, including Ali Imraan (KKR), Andrea Bora (Goldman Sachs Asset Management), Axel Brinkmann (RBC Capital Markets), Britta Drexler (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), Colin Campbell (Pradera), Elle Xu, CFA (Lendlease), Emma Jack (PGIM Private Alternatives), Irene Ryan (Starwood Capital Group), Joseph De Leo (PineBridge Investments), Michael E. Shields (ING Real Estate Finance), and far too many more to name! ?? Look out for a full report sharing all of the key takeaways from the vast wealth of knowledge shared at the event, coming soon. #griclub #realestate #liquidity #refinancing #valueadd

?? Lion's Head has entered the Romanian logistics sector with the acquisition of a 155,000 square metre land plot in Bucharest, marking a key step in the company’s regional growth. ?? Backed by EUR 150m IFC - International Finance Corporation funding to support green warehousing and regional growth, the strategically located future Class-A logistics park will feature flexible, energy-efficient spaces designed to meet the evolving needs of international tenants. With construction set to begin in H1 2025, this expansion builds on Lion’s Head’s strong presence in Bulgaria and strengthens its prominence in Central and Eastern Europe’s logistics sector. ?? Read the full press release on the GRI Hub: https://lnkd.in/d_8-nFby #griclub #realestate #lionshead #logistics #romania?

Last week’s GRI UK & Europe Reunion 2025 saw more than 230 of the most senior real estate investors, fund managers, asset owners, lenders, and developers gather in London for a series of dynamic roundtable discussions and networking opportunities at our flagship UK conference. ?? The opening Investor’s Talkshow, moderated by Alis Pay (Clifford Chance) and featuring insights from Alexander Knapp (Hines), James Halstead (BlackRock), Martin Towns (M&G Investments), and Patrick Scanlon (CoStar Group), highlighted how investors are adapting strategies amid geopolitical uncertainty and economic shifts. Early signs of recovery in UK and European real estate are being observed, with stabilising prices, returning core capital, and growing interest in sectors like logistics, residential, and data centres, revealing a cautiously optimistic outlook as capital begins to return to the market. ?? Subsequent panel discussions addressed investment and capital strategies, sector insights, market dynamics, and sustainability and innovation in real estate, with sessions moderated by Adrian Karczewicz (Skanska), Alexander Riches (Crosswind Capital Fund Management Ltd), Cristina Balekjian (CoStar Group), Irina Stamate-Rocha (Patron Capital), Janey Douglas (JLL), Lars Meisinger (Periskop Partners (Previously DLE)), Mark Stansfield (CoStar Group), Nikodem Szumilo (UCL), Omar el Glaoui (Citi), Pradeep Pattem (Park Street A/S), Pranav Goel (Lodha UK), Rajan Somchand (JLL), Rossitsa Koevska (Goldman Sachs Asset Management), Sara Willard (Workable City Development), Simon Scott (JLL), and Tim Vallance (JLL). GRI Club would like to thank everyone who participated, including CoStar, JLL, and Deepki for their invaluable support, our Pan-European Club Partner CMS, and Club Partners Clifford Chance, Climate X, and Dentons, for your contributions to the event's success. ?? More photos and details from these important discussions are coming soon! #griclub #realestate #investment #economy #networking

The European Commission has unveiled proposals to cut red tape and boost competitiveness against the US and China, while the EU’s energy plan seeks to reduce fossil fuel import costs by up to EUR 130 billion annually by 2030. At the same time, Europe’s housing crisis is deepening, with house prices up 48% in a decade, prompting the mayors of twelve major cities to urge the EU to unlock more funds for housing investment and leading the European Parliament to create a new committee to address the situation. Learn more about these developments in the latest edition of GRI Insights Europe, where we also share one article on the rise of hybrid real estate models, another examining the impacts of outdated risk models and anticipation vs reaction, plus an exciting opportunity to join industry peers at a world-class sporting event! ??? Subscribe to receive weekly GRI Club Europe newsletter updates! #griclub #realestate #insights #newsletter #weekly

The recent GRI CEE Forum - London Edition brought the top European decision-makers active in Central and Eastern Europe together in the UK to discuss the real estate investment outlook, portfolio diversification, and the pivotal role of the region’s logistics sector. ?? The opening Investor’s Talkshow, moderated by Janusz Dzianachowski (Linklaters), highlighted that although the region’s stability has supported resilience in investment performance, it has also led to a lack of price corrections - making it less attractive to opportunistic investors and emphasising the need for a clearer narrative to attract further capital. ?? Next up, the Portfolio Diversification session, led by Adrian Karczewicz (Skanska), underscored the growing preference for sector specialisation over broad diversification, with investors focusing on expertise-driven asset selection rather than chasing trends like logistics or data centres. ?? Finally, along with moderator Dorota Latkowska (REINO Group), the industry leaders in the Logistics 2.0 discussion highlighted Poland’s role as a key hub, the slowdown in new supply, rising lease renewals, and increasing investor selectivity, as well as the impacts of nearshoring, tenant shifts, and economic uncertainty on market dynamics. GRI Club would like to thank everyone who participated in this unique chance to share strategic insights into the markets, create and reinforce meaningful connections, and unlock opportunities for new dealflow. ?? Look out for an in-depth report featuring all of the key takeaways - coming soon! #griclub #realestate #cee #investment #logistics

Yesterday (26th) saw 60 of the incredible industry decision-makers who make up the GRI Women Leading RE Committee, representing billions in capital firepower, gather in London for a networking breakfast (emphasis on work!) to tackle real estate’s most pressing challenges. ?? Discussions covered exit strategies, debt market competition, SFR rental growth, top office destinations, key market trends, and much more, all while fostering transactional relationships and championing greater diversity in industry leadership. Pricing expectations were observed to continue outpacing reality, often leading to last-minute renegotiations, while hesitant core capital is pushing value-add strategies to take on greater risk and debt markets are competitive yet constrained. ?? Despite a stigma against renting as opposed to buying, demand for single-family housing (SFH) was noted to be growing in the UK, but affordability and regulatory challenges, such as planning constraints and tax policies, are hindering development. With investors navigating shifting capital flows, evolving risk dynamics, and volatile economic conditions, conversations at the meeting revealed that uncertainty - particularly driven by geopolitical tensions, AI-driven workforce disruptions, and monetary policy shifts - is creating a cautious yet opportunistic investment outlook for 2025. ?? GRI Club would like to thank Ana Gonzalez-Iglesias (Blackstone), Anna Wysocka (NHOOD), Britta Drexler (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), Camille Douglas (LeFrak), Cristina Garcia-Peri (Azora), Dorota Latkowska (REINO Group), Dorota Wysokińska-Kuzdra (Colliers), Elle Xu, CFA (Lendlease), Emma Jack (PGIM Private Alternatives), Irene Ryan (Starwood Capital Group), Irina Stoichkova (Savills), Laura Denenga (PGIM Real Estate), Lottie Outen (Kennedy Wilson), Nicola Free (Wells Fargo), Shelby Weiss (GREYKITE), Weronika Guerquin-Koryzma (Baker McKenzie), and all of the other amazing women who joined us for this special occasion. #griclub #womeninrealestate #uk #europe #realestate

Yesterday (25th) saw GRI Club members and other top industry leaders gather at Bialto's offices in Madrid for a discussion about the Spanish housing shortage and the need for more budget-friendly homes in the country. ?? Spain’s challenges were noted to be driven by a significant supply-demand imbalance, with high production costs and economic viability concerns limiting new developments, while restrictive land access, slow permitting, and high taxes also remain significant barriers. Although Spain has 4 million vacant homes, they are mostly in low-demand areas, away from major hubs such as Madrid where affordable properties are most needed. ?? In response, the Community of Madrid launched the Plan Vive initiative, a public-private collaboration through which 8,500 affordable rental homes are under construction, with a further 4,000 planned. Expanding the supply of low-cost properties will be essential to solve the country’s housing shortage, but addressing the current challenges requires regulatory reforms, incentives for development, and continued collaboration. ?? We would like to thank our co-hosts Bialto and Urban Input, as well as discussion moderator Mario Chisholm (Urban Input), Celso Gómez Labrador (Culmia), Gisella Menoscal (IMPACT HOMES S.L.), Ignacio Pareja Sierra (MOMENTUM), maria jose piccio marchetti prado (Comunidad de Madrid), Raul Blasco Terré (Bialto), and everyone else who engaged in this critical search for solutions. #griclub #realestate #spain #residential #affordablehousing