Buyout Boom Drives Record European Corporate Real Estate Sales

A record wave of mergers and acquisitions helped drive a boom in European corporate real estate sales in 2021 as private equity firms cashed in on property portfolios of companies they acquired.

Businesses sold a record 29 billion euros ($32 billion) of real estate in 2021, according to data compiled by broker Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. The 670 buildings sold included the warehouse portfolio of U.K. grocery chain Asda following its acquisition by private equity firm TDR Capital and a hospital portfolio sold by the Priory Group, the mental health group acquired by Waterland Private Equity.

“These high ...