The SBA Group has carried out its largest-ever real estate sale transaction. The logistics centre and the furniture component factory in the SBA Industry Innovation Valley near Klaipėda has been transferred to the green real estate fund managed by the Estonian fund management company EfTEN Capital AS.

“The deal marks a new stage of SBA Group’s expansion. We have successfully developed unique real estate objects based on green technologies, and now we are realising the created added value. At the same time, we mobilise resources for our new strategic and ambitious projects, oriented to the global markets”, says Jolanta Grašienė, vice president of the SBA Group.

The SBA furniture sector companies Laminn and Innovo Logistika will continue furniture component manufacturing and logistics operations in these objects as before, while new and innovative projects will be further developed in the 50 ha SBA Industry Innovation Valley. The newly built logistics centre and production facility, developed by the SBA Group company Urban inventors, is around 44,000 square metres of gross leasable area in total. The deal value – 28.6 million euro.

“Located at an international logistics hub, the property also excels as the greenest warehouse and production facility in the Baltics, which fits well the portfolio of EfTEN Real Estate Fund 4, the first ever green real estate fund in the Baltic`s”, says Laurynas Žilys, EfTEN Capital AS Country Manager for Lithuania.

“We are happy to be a part of a transaction between two leading enterprises in their fields. SBA Industry Innovation Valley is one of the most ambitious industrial real estate projects in strategic location and adhering to highest environmental requirements which is in line with Luminor priorities to contribute to more sustainable economy”, says Gediminas Kesminas, Luminor real estate project manager.

Upon conclusion of the sales and purchase agreement, both buildings will be leased to Innovo logistika UAB, according to a lease agreement of 15 years. SBA Furniture Group, which is the largest exporter of furniture in the Baltic countries, is the parent company of Innovo logistika UAB. The group’s companies are an important element in the production and supply chain of IKEA.

The property is at the major transport corridors that are connecting Klaipėda and its port with Kaunas and Vilnius. International Palanga Airport is less than 40 km from the SBA logistics & production site.

“Sustainable and innovative projects in strategic locations, with reliable tenants and long-term contracts, are indeed in demand. When selecting a buyer, we raised high-reliability expectations, which would ensure not only successful completion of this transaction, but smooth cooperation in the future, too. The buyer’s approach and their vision for long-term cooperation were in line with our expectations and, despite the pandemic, the professional teams from both parties closed the transaction very promptly,” tells Ignas Mačeika, SBA treasury director who managed the deal process.

During the transaction, legal advisors were the law firm SORAINEN for the SBA Group and FORT for EfTEN Capital AS. After the acquisition, five properties are in the EfTEN Real Estate Fund 4 investment portfolio, including Kadrioru business centre in Tallinn, Dominante logistics centre in Riga, River Mall shopping centre/River Hall business centre in Kaunas and RYO Shopping centre in Panevėžys.

en.delfi.lt