In the first half of this year, Corum Investments raised more than 600 million euros from its European savers to invest in opportunities in the European commercial property market. The value under management of Corum funds has now risen to 6.7 billion euros, 5.7 billion euros of which relates to real estate.
The French SCPI (Real Estate Investment Company) has thus maintained its "high level of savings in a period marked by inflation, interest rate rises by central banks and the low profitability offered by traditional savings products", Corum said in a statement. Miguel Costa Santos, Country Manager of Corum Portugal, says that "we are witnessing a growing appetite on the part of more and more investors, both large investors and small savers, who are looking for low-risk solutions that offer attractive returns". He adds that "at Corum we are always looking to generate a return for our investors, via dividends, but also through the appreciation of their shareholdings".
The Corum Origin and Corum XL funds, available in Portugal for small savers, aim to achieve returns of 6% and 5% respectively. These objectives have been achieved "partly as a result of the diversification strategy in terms of both sectors and geographies".
Corum believes that investing in commercial property assets is "particularly effective in times of inflation such as the current one, as it guarantees protection against the loss of value of savings since the rents charged are directly or indirectly indexed to the consumer price index. And also because the context of rising interest rates creates investment opportunities that ensure high rates of return through the rents paid by quality tenants."
Corum currently has 200 properties in its portfolio in 17 European countries, 15 of them in Portugal, and in Canada, leased to more than 400 companies, with an occupancy rate of 96 per cent. In the first half of this year, it reinforced its investments in commercial property with acquisitions such as RTL's headquarters in Belgium, for 33 million euros; a property occupied by Henkel and Gi Group for 25 million euros, or two buildings in Basingstoke and Glasgow for 26.7 and 45 million euros.
