PEREs ranking of the 50

largest private equity real

estate firms in the world

Methodology
The PERE 50 measures equity raised between 1 January
2008 and mid-April 2013 for direct real estate investment
through closed-ended, commingled real estate funds and
co-investment vehicles that sit alongside those funds. The
vehicles must give the GP discretion over the capital, meaning
club funds, separate accounts and joint ventures are excluded
from the ranking. Also excluded are funds with strategies other
than value-added and opportunistic, such as core and core-plus, as
well as those not focused on direct real estate, like fund of funds and
debt funds, and funds where the primary strategy is not real estatefocused, such as general private equity.

A post-crisis shake-up
The elimination of funds closed in 2007 from this years ranking
has caused the biggest reshuffling of top firms in recent memory
Changes abound in this years ranking of the largest private equity real estate in the
world in terms of fundraising activity. First and most obvious is that the ranking
has expanded from 30 firms to 50 this year. This is partly the result of the increased
capabilities of PEREs Research & Analytics team, which did much of the grunt work
for this years ranking, as well as the desire to offer our readers a wider, more comprehensive look at fundraising activity across the market.
Secondly, the PERE 50 has experienced the biggest reshuffling of firms at the top of
the ranking in recent memory. Much of this is due to the elimination of large funds
that closed in 2007 and now fall outside the rankings five-year fundraising window.
Among the casualties are the real estate investment arms of investment banks Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which declined nine and five spots respectively,
as well as private real estate firms such as Beacon Capital Partners and Rockpoint
Group. Indeed, Beacon fell 20 places as some $4 billion was shaved from its five-year
tally, while Rockpoint dropped 16 spots and now is relying solely on the fund it just
closed earlier this year.
The problem for these firms is that much of the capital that has fallen outside the
PERE 50s five-year fundraising window has not been replaced with new equity or it
has been replaced at a slower rate and with a lesser amount. Meanwhile, a number of
firms have shifted their focus to strategies that are not included in the PERE 50 ranking, such as real estate debt, or have stopped raising their capital through traditional
closed-ended commingled funds in favor of other structures sought by LPs.
That said, some firms did find success with new vehicles over the past five quarters. Indeed, three of the biggest fundraisers over the past five quarters also happen
to be the biggest climbers in the PERE 50. Starwood Capital Group closed its latest
opportunity fund on $4.2 billion, which propelled the firm some 10 spots in the
ranking. Brookfield Asset Management, which is in the middle of marketing its first
global opportunity fund, moved up 14 spots on the strength of $2.63 billion in equity
raised so far. Last but not least, Fortress Investment Group also jumped 14 spots in
the ranking due largely to the success of its second Japan-focused fund, which closed
on $1.65 billion late last year.
In the face of all those changes, one thing did not change. The Blackstone Group
cemented its place as far and away the biggest capital-raiser in the PERE 50 ranking,
thanks to the $13.3 billion collected for its most-recent global offering, which is the
largest commingled real estate fund ever raised. Indeed, so big is that fund that, had
Blackstone not raised another penny over the past five years, the firm still would be
atop the ranking. As it is, it raised a total of nearly $32 billion, which is more than the
next four firm combined.
Looking at the PERE 50 as a whole, the cutoff for capital raised in order to make
this years ranking was $1.37 billion over the past five years. Obviously, that is much
less than the $2.21 billion cut-off of last year, when just 30 firms were ranked. However, if you look at just the top 30 firms this year, you will see that the cut-off for that
sub-group rose to $2.42 billion.
Meanwhile, the expansion of the ranking, as well as the aforementioned reshuffling
of firms, has opened the door for several new players to emerge. First-time members
of the PERE 50 include notable firms like CapitaLand, Oaktree Capital Management,
Niam, GTIS Partners and Crow Holdings, among others. In addition, there were five
firms $60 million or less from making the PERE 50, including Europa Capital Management and Iron Point Real Estate Partners. With the disappearance of 2008 funds
in next years ranking, it is a good bet that these firms will make the cut in 2014.

2013
Rank

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

Capital
Raised ($bn)

Movement Name of Firm

The Blackstone Group

Starwood Capital Group
Lone Star Funds
Colony Capital
LaSalle Investment Management
Tishman Speyer
The Carlyle Group
Goldman Sachs Real Estate Principal Investment Area
Brookfield Asset Management
MGPA
Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing
CBRE Global Investors
Westbrook Partners
AREA Property Partners
Angelo, Gordon & Co
Prudential Real Estate Investors
Shorenstein Properties
CapitaLand
Fortress Investment Group
TA Associates Realty
Oaktree Capital Mangement
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Principal Investments
Walton Street Capital
Northwood Investors
Perella Weinberg Partners
Lubert-Adler Partners
AEW Global
Beacon Capital Partners
Orion Capital Managers
Alpha Investment Partners
DRA Advisors
KSL Capital Partners
ARA Asset Management
Rockpoint Group
Niam
Hemisferio Sul Investimentos
Hines
GI Partners
Cerberus Capital Management
GTIS Partners
Invesco Real Estate
Crow Holdings
CIM Group
Rockwood Capital
Berkshire Property Advisors
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital
GE Capital Real Estate
Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors
Spear Street Capital
Stockbridge Capital Group
Total equity raised since 2008

Legend:

Higher rank than 2012

Lower rank than 2012

Same rank as 2012

$31.947
$7.868
$7.864
$7.709
$7.395
$7.340
$7.337
$5.626
$5.250
$5.200
$4.767
$4.181
$4.088
$4.055
$3.798
$3.531
$3.295
$3.295
$3.159
$3.068
$3.021
$2.992
$2.887
$2.809
$2.710
$2.604
$2.561
$2.541
$2.491
$2.420
$2,250
$2.211
$2.074
$1.952
$1.910
$1.899
$1.884
$1.864
$1.830
$1.791
$1.662
$1.649
$1.632
$1.629
$1.619
$1.518
$1.514
$1.411
$1.400
$1.370

2012
Rank

1
12
7
5
10
4
6
3
23
11
2
13
9
14
17
15
19

33
16

20
30
28

24
21
8
38

29
31
34
18

22
37
41

27

$192.876
PERE 50 debut

PERE 50 return

The Blackstone
Group
$31.947 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1992

During a recent earnings call, Steve
Schwarzman, chairman of The Blackstone Group, told reporters: When real
estate works, it really works. He wasnt
kidding.
Real estate clearly
has been working
very well for the
New York-based investment firm, especially if fundraising
ability is any indication, so it should
Schwarzman:
come as no surprise
working it
that
Blackstone
once again tops the
PERE 50. The 800-pound gorilla of the
private equity real estate world has taken top spot in this annual ranking since
PERE first launched it back in 2008
(and it originally was the PERE 30).
Not only does Blackstones fundraising prowess top all other real estate
firms, it does so by a wide margin. In
fact, even if PERE only considered the
capital the firm raised from its Blackstone Real Estate Partners (BREP) VII
fund, it still would be the largest fundraiser on the scene. The firm managed
to raise a staggering $13.3 billion on
behalf of BREP VII, exceeding its initial
$10 billion target and making the fund
the largest of its kind in history.
After raising $6 billion in 2011the
year BREP VII was launchedBlackstone managed to close on another
$4 billion of equity during the first two
months of 2012, bringing BREP VII to
its initial target. Then, from February
until October 2012, the firm managed to
close out the fund by collecting another
$3.3 billion in commitments.
As it stands, however, PERE isnt just
considering the capital that Blackstone
attracted via BREP VII. With nearly $32
billion in equity raised since 2008, the
firm has amassed roughly four times the
capital of the next competitor, solidifying its spot at the top of the PERE 50.

36

PERE | MAY 2013

Starwood Capital Group $7.868 billion

Lone Star Funds $7.864 billion

HQ: Greenwich, Connecticut / Founded: 1991

Thanks to the popularity of its latest distressed

fund, Starwood Capital Group, led by Barry
Sternlicht, has shot 10 places up the ranking to the number two spot this year. Starwood Distressed Opportunity
Fund IX, which was launched in August 2011 with a target between $2 billion and $3 billion, ultimately garnered
a whopping $4.2 billion in equity commitments, making
it the firms largest private investment fund to date.
1372 Broadway: an early
Helping the opportunity fund to exceed its target was
investment
the fact that, for the first time in its history, Starwood
offered management fee breaks to institutional investors
joining the first close and to larger investors committing more than $150 million
of equity. Such incentives allowed the firm to corral commitments from a diverse
group of pensions, endowments and foundations, as well as foreign institutions,
including the New York State Teachers Retirement System, the Florida State Board
of Administration and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
Fund IX is focused predominantly on distressed opportunities in the US, although Starwood is believed to be eyeing Europe and Brazil for opportunities as
well. Already, the firm has made a number of investments on behalf of the vehicle,
including the purchase of a 9,500-unit multifamily portfolio with Gaia Real Estate
last May and the acquisition of 1372 Broadway in New York. In addition, earlier
this year, Starwood and its REIT affiliate Starwood Property Trust agreed to acquire Miami-based special servicer LNR Property for $1 billion.
In terms of the firms strategy, Sternlicht told PERE in an interview that, despite its opportunistic focus, Starwood likes to choose its investments cautiously.
Theres risk in the world, he said. Therefore, were investing with a big margin of
safety because we need to preserve capital for a wide range of outcomes.

HQ: Dallas / Founded: 1995

Even though it hasnt raised any new dedicated capital for real estate since 2011, Lone Star Funds still
makes it to the top three of the PERE 50 since it has managed
to raise roughly $7.86 billion in equity over the past five-plus
years. In fact, the John Grayken-led firm raised $5.5 billion
on behalf of Lone Star Real Estate Fund II alone, which along
with The Blackstone Groups Blackstone Real Estate Partners
VII fund helped keep the mega-fund alive following the global
Grayken: busy
financial crisis.
investing
Currently, Lone Star is busy buying up assets on behalf of
Fund II. For example, the Dallas-based investment firm bought
a distressed loan book valued at 900 million (1.1 billion; $1.4 billion) from Lloyds
Banking Group in late 2011 and agreed to buy the A and B notes of Excalibur,
Lehman Brothers 1.8 billion legacy securitized real estate debt portfolio, from
Deutsche Bundesbank last year. Most recently, in December, Lone Star agreed to
buy TLG Immobilien for 1.1 billion in what was one of the largest commercial
property transactions in Germany last year, as well as the first privatization in the
country since the onset of the global financial crisis.
At its current rate of investment, it appears as though it wont be long before
Lone Stars latest opportunistic fund will be fully invested. In fact, there are rumors that the firm could be back on the fundraising trail with its third real estate
fund within the coming year.

Colony Capital $7.709 billion

HQ: Los Angeles / Founded: 1991

Last year, Colony Capital closed on $1.4 billion in base and co-investment capital for its latest debt fund, Colony Distressed Credit Fund
(CDCF) II. Despite being one of the largest fundraises of 2012, that capital did
not help the Los Angeles-based firm in the PERE 50 ranking, which does not
count debt vehicles towards its fundraising totals. Luckily, Colony was active
on the equity side of its business as well.
Helping to solidify Colonys position within the top five
of the PERE 50 ranking is Colony Realty Partners IV, which
held a first close on $225 million in equity at the end of last
year. More significantly, the firm raised a total of $2.24 billion in investor capital for Colony American Homes, its vehicle for purchasing portfolios of distressed single-family
homes across the US. The strategy there is to fix up those
properties and rent them out rather than sell them, and
Barrack: focusing
Colony anticipates amassing 10,000 to 15,000 homes by the
more on debt
middle of this year.
PERE understands that Colony, led by Tom Barrack, currently is focused on investing in debt rather than equity because of the greater
number of compelling deals in the debt space. In fact, so robust is the opportunity in debt that the firm is planning to launch a successor fund to CDCF II
sometime this year.

LaSalle Investment Management

$7.395 billion
HQ: Chicago / Founded: 1980

Over the past year or so, LaSalle Investment Management has focused its investment activity primarily on the US and the markets of Asia.
Consequently, the Chicago-based real estate investment managers recent fundraising activity has focused on those markets as well, with the firm raising
$50 million towards its $750 million target for LaSalle Asia Opportunity Fund
IV and $305 million against its $600 million goal for LaSalle Income & Growth
Fund VI.
In addition, LaSalle formed a $205 million separate account last year to provide liquidity to real estate ownership structures. The opportunistic vehicle,
named Salt River Investors after the river in Arizona, will focus on asset and
fund-level recapitalizations throughout the US, as well as secondary purchases
of joint venture or fund interests. The capital is flexible in structure and can
take the form of structured debt, preferred equity or common equity.
In terms of the firms recent activity in the Japanese market, it was revealed
earlier this year that LaSalle had put a portfolio of eight logistics properties
in the Tokyo and Osaka areas up for sale. The firm is looking to sell the assets
from its second logistics fund, LaSalle Japan Logistics Fund II, for approximately 95 billion (763.3 billion; $1.01 billion). Meanwhile, the firm is busy
raising equity for the latest fund in that series.
LaSalle established its Asia platform in 2000 and, as of April 2012, had approximately 180 staff and nearly $9 billion in assets under management in the
region. Last spring, the firms plans to focus on country-specific funds in Asia led
it to agree to relinquish its responsibility for the Asia Property Fund, the regions
first open-ended core fund. LaSalle launched the vehicle in 2007 with an initial
$600 million in assets alongside PRUPIM, which has agreed to assume sole
responsibility for managing the fund.

Tishman Speyer
$7.34 billion
HQ: New York
Founded: 1978

Tishman Speyer has been very busy the

past couple of years, particularly in the
US and Latin America. Although the
New York-based developer and fund
manager has never been particularly
talkative about its investment activities,
it closed two significant funds over the
past year, one focused on the US and the
other on Brazil.
Last month, PERE learned that Tishman Speyer had closed its latest US real
estate vehicle, Tishman Speyer Real Estate Venture VIII, raising approximately
$700 million in commitments. Venture
VIII will be focused on value-added
investments in North America, following a similar strategy to that of its predecessor, Tishman Speyer Real Estate
Venture VII, which closed on a total of
$1.5 billion in 2008.
In addition, Tishman Speyer raised a
total of $539.5 million for its Tishman
Speyer Brazil Fund
III and a related
feeder fund in August. Brazil Fund
III will be similar
in nature to the inMairar in So
vestment managers
Paulo: a new
two previous oppordevelopment
tunistic funds targeting Brazil, meaning it will focus on
development opportunities. Tishman
Speyer began investing in Brazil in the
1990s and currently owns 17 properties
in Braslia, Rio de Janeiro and So Paulo, according to the firms website.
One year earlier, in August 2011,
Tishman Speyer had closed on
$230 million for both its third Brazil
fund and the feeder fund, according to
US Securities and Exchange Commission filings. By September, the firm had
increased its equity haul to $350 million.
Early investors in the vehicle include
the National Pension Service of Korea,
which committed $200 million towards
the first close.

MAY 2013 | PERE

37

The Carlyle Group $7.337 billion

HQ: Washington DC / Founded: 1987

The Carlyle Group easily remains in the top 10 of

the PERE 50 ranking, having collected more than
$7.3 billion of discretionary equity for its real estate vehicles
over the past five years. A large chunk of the Washington DCbased firms tally comes from the Carlyle Realty Partners series,
most notably Carlyle Realty Partners VI. The firm, whose real
estate effort is led by managing director Robert Stuckey, raised
$2.34 billion for that vehicle in 2011, which was among the largest funds to have closed between 2011 and 2012.
Other significant components of Carlyles tally are Carlyle
Europe Real Estate Partners III, which raised $3.494 billion in
2008, and Carlyle Asia Real Estate Partners II, which raised $486
million in 2009. In addition, credit funds have been a feature of
the firm since the beginning of the global financial crisis, and
Carlyle has raised a number of such vehicles. Unfortunately for
Carlyle, debt funds are not counted towards its PERE 50 total.
One question mark for Carlyles future capital-raising tally
concerns its current attitude towards Europe. Indeed, the firm
has decided against raising a follow-up vehicle to its most-recent
Europe-focused fund in order to concentrate on asset management initiatives for the existing portfolio.

Brookfield Asset Management

$5.25 billion

HQ: Toronto and New York / Founded: 1899

Brookfield Asset Management is a huge riser in the PERE 50

ranking, up 14 places since last year.
The Toronto- and New York-based
firm is now among the top 10 real estate
capital-raisers.
The single largest contribution towards Brookfields $5.2 billion equity
focused
total is derived from Brookfield Stra- Blattman:
on higher returns
tegic Real Estate Partners, which was
launched in 2011 with a $3.5 billion target and had collected $2.63 billion by the end of last year.
The fund is strategically important because it marks the
firms first global opportunistic real estate offering. Indeed,
in a recent interview with PERE, Barry Blattman, head of
Brookfields real estate fund business, said the firm is very
focused on building up its global opportunistic platform.
Brookfield began laying the groundwork for the strategy
less than a decade ago with the 2006 launch of its Brazil
Retail Property Fund and two North America-focused
opportunity funds in 2006 and 2007. In 2009, the firm
launched its renowned Real Estate Turnaround Program,
which represented its first global real estate capital-raising effort. However, that program, which raised a total of
$5.5 billion, was structured as a club venture between a select group of limited partners.

38

PERE | MAY 2013

Goldman Sachs Real Estate

Principal Investment Area
$5.626 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1991

Goldman Sachs used to be in the top three of the PERE

50 ranking when Wall Street was awash with cash. However, even the most ardent fan of the platform would have
to concede that the investment bank has changed enormously since 2008. As a result, Goldman has slipped five
places since last year, reflecting the fact that it hasnt been
in the market with an opportunistic fund since Whitehall
International 2008. That said, the firm has been very successful in raising real estate debt funds and currently is in
the market with another vehicle that will seek to make investments in the US and Europe.
For the purposes of the PERE 50, Whitehall International 2008 is the vehicle that has contributed most to Goldmans five-year tally, adding $2.34 billion of the firms total.
The same year, it raised a US-focused real estate vehicle,
helping the firm rack up $5.6 billion over the past five years.
Many observers consistently have said that Goldmans
Whitehall series is dead. That has prompted one of the
most intriguing questions in the industry: Is Goldman
going to continue to be a major force in global real estate
investing the way it has for more than 20 years?

10

MGPA $5.20 billion

HQ: Singapore and London
Founded: 2004

How much does it cost to buy one of the biggest private equity real estate firms in terms of capital raised?
The answer might soon be known as MGPA, led by executive
chairman James Quille, is up for sale, with a deal imminent as
of press time.
One strong contender said to be in talks
to buy the platform is BlackRock, the New
York-based global asset manager that is
conspicuously absence from the PERE 50.
Indeed, PERE currently has the firm pegged
as the 95th largest in terms of opportunistic
real estate fundraising. Still, the big question is whether MGPA, under any new ownership, will be able to raise another fund of
Quille: under the
hammer
significant size.
For now, MGPA remains in the top 10 of
the PERE 50 thanks to two funds that closed in 2008 - MGPA Asia
Fund III and MGPA Europe Fund III, which raised $3.89 billion
and $1.309 billion, respectively. Since then, the firm has not
closed on a large opportunistic fund, although it has been in
the market with MGPA Europe Fund IV and MGPA Asien Spezialfonds, the latter of which collects capital from German and
Austrian investors for deployment in various Asian markets.

11

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing $4.767 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1991

Morgan Stanley always has had one of the

largest private equity real estate platforms
in the world, in alignment with its global reach and network.
Indeed, it came in second only to The Blackstone Group in
last years PERE 30 ranking.
The big factor in the fall of Morgan Stanley Real Estate
Investing (MSREI) this year, however, is the fact that its
$8 billion Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund (MSREF) VI
International is now out of consideration because it was
raised in 2007, just outside the rankings five-year window.
That leaves the firms fundraising tally hinging largely on
MSREF VII Global, which closed on $4 billion in 2008.
In that regard, Morgan Stanleys story is quite a similar to
that of Goldman Sachs, the other Wall Street bank that has up
until now paraded in the Top 3 of PEREs ranking. Still, the

12

CBRE Global Investors

$4.181 billion

HQ: Los Angeles / Founded: 1972

CBRE Global Investors is huge in the private

real estate world with more than $90 billion under management, but the Los Angeles-based juggernaut led by Matthew
Khourie still is not really a powerhouse in terms of opportunistic and value-added funds. Nevertheless, the firm registers
as a significant player, coming in at Number 12 in the PERE 50
ranking.
Almost all of CBRE Global Investors recent capital-raising
activity has focused on the US. For example, in 2012, the firm
raised $1.1 billion for CBRE Strategic Partners US Value 6. The
predecessor fund, US Value 5, closed on $1.295 billion in 2008
and, that same year, the firm raised $679 million for CBRE
Strategic Partners US Opportunity 5. The primary exception
to that US-centric focus is its European Shopping Center Fund,
which has attracted 231 million in equity so far.

14

AREA Property Partners

$4.055 billion
HQ: New York / Founded: 1993

There was no change in the standings for

AREA Property Partners this year. Capital-raising activities
over the past five years include $1.375 billion for AREA European Real Estate Fund III and $756 billion for AREA Value
Enhancement Fund VII, both of which closed in 2008. Interestingly, the firm is back in the market with the next vintages of
those two offerings, although first closings have yet to occur for
either fund. Also adding to AREAs tally is the latest vehicle in
its opportunistic series, AREA Real Estate Opportunity Fund
VI, which closed on $518 million in 2011.

future of Morgan Stanleys

real estate platform seems secure, as the firm reportedly is
out warming up investors for
its next global offering.
As previously reported,
MSREI is in the early stages
of launching a global opporMorgan Stanley HQ:
tunistic real estate fund afstill a big player
ter reconsidering a series of
regional offerings. The firm has not yet commented on the
target for its fund officially, but it no doubt will be seeking billions. Whether that will be enough to put the firm back into
the Top 3 of the PERE 50 next time around is a moot point.
For now, MSREI is still a big player on the stage.

13

Westbrook Partners
$4.088 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1994

Westbrook Partners would have been slightly

higher in this years PERE 50 ranking had it reached its target
for its latest opportunity fund, Westbrook Real Estate Fund IX.
As it was, the New York-based firm, founded by Morgan Stanley
alum Paul Kazilionis, captured a respectable $1.588 billion in
commitments, just shy of the $2 billion in equity it anticipated.
Still, the capital that Westbrook did raise came from 78 institutional investors, including early commitments of $200 million apiece from the endowments of Harvard University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fund IX combined with
Westbrook Real Estate Fund VIII, which closed on $2.5 billion
in 2008, gave Westbrook its tally.

15

Angelo, Gordon & Co

$3.798 billion
HQ: New York / Founded: 1988

Angelo, Gordon & Co moves up two

places in this years ranking. The New York-based investment firm frequently is out raising capital in any given
year, and last year was no exception. Indeed, in 2012, the
firm attracted $1.265 billion in commitments for its latest opportunity fund, AG Realty Fund VIII, as well as just
over $1 billion for a core-plus vehicle, AG Core Plus Realty
Fund III, although that fund is not counted for the purposes of the PERE 50, which focuses on value-added and
opportunistic strategies. In addition, the firm currently is
in market with the latest fund in its net lease series, AG
Net Lease Realty Fund III, and is expecting to hold a first
close imminently.

MAY 2013 | PERE

39

16

Prudential Real Estate

Investors $3.531 billion
HQ: Parsippany, New Jersey
Founded: 1970

Besides raising significant equity for real estate debt strategies,

2012 was the year that Prudential Real Estate Investors wrapped
up capital-raising for its latest fund focused on senior housing
investments. The real estate investment management arm of US
insurer Prudential Financial firm brought in $568 million for its
Senior Housing Partners IV fund, beating its original $500 million capital-raising target. That fund will be used for direct and
joint venture acquisitions of existing properties, forward commitments on developments and mezzanine loans. Prudential
Real Estate Investors largest qualifying fundraising, however,
came in Asia in 2009, when the firm raised $1.02 billion for its
Asia Property Fund II.

17

Shorenstein Properties
$3.295 billion

HQ: San Francisco / Founded: 1992

San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties

moves up the PERE 50 ranking by two places, not because of any
new capital-raising endeavours of its own but due to declines by
others. The firms last fundraising remains Shorenstein Realty
Investors Ten, which collected $1.23 billion in 2011. Still, the
firm has been busy deploying that capital. According to Shorenstein, the fund has been used for investments in five properties,
ranging from traditional properties
like offices to alternative real estate
like parking garages, in large cities
like Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Houston.
The firm is now landlord for some
23.6 million square feet of space
Chicago: targeted in 2012 across the country.

18

CapitaLand $3.295 billion

HQ: Singapore / Founded: 2000

One of Asias pre-eminent property

companies for more than a decade,
CapitaLands brand has been regarded as a sign of quality. So it is of little wonder that, when the Singapore-based
firm seeds private equity real estate funds with its assets,
the units of those fund are promptly snatched up just as
shares of the REITs it forms and lists on local exchanges
are snapped up by retail investors. The firms latest private offering to investors was 50 percent of a $1 billion
vehicle called CapitaMalls China Development Fund III,
which was seeded with three of its retail developments in
greater China.

40

PERE | MAY 2013

19

Fortress Investment
Group
$3.159 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1998

Given how well Fortress Investment Groups maiden
Japan-focused private equity real estate fund has performed since being launched in 2009, it was easy to predict a sequel fund by the New York-based alternative
investment management firm would prove popular with
investors. However, in raising almost twice the equity of
its first vehicle, there was surprise both outside and inside the firm.
In December, little more than one year after launching Fortress Japan Opportunity Fund II, the firm closed
the vehicle on 130 billion (1.29 billion; $1.65 billion)
in equity thanks to
commitments from
73 investors, 29 of
which were from
Japan. It was the
biggest private equity real estate fund
raised anywhere in
Asia during 2012
and the central reaTokyo: Fortress favored destination
son why Fortress
was able to soar 14 places in this years PERE 50 ranking.
Of course, not all of Fortress efforts in the real estate
space are Nippon-focused. The firm also raised $515 million for its Fortress Real Estate Opportunities Fund, a
US-focused opportunity fund, last year. Nonetheless, it
is the firms efforts in Japan to date, its first fund is projecting net IRRs of 22.4 percent and an equity multiple of
1.6x just two years in that have resulted in the most investor enthusiasm and, consequently, the greatest share
of equity commitments.

20

TA Associates Realty
$3.068 billion
HQ: Boston / Founded: 1982

For TA Associates Realty, the last 12 months

have been business as usual on the capital-raising front. Once
gain, the Boston-based firm has managed an equity haul bigger than $1 billion, smashing its $1.25 billion capital-raising
target for its latest fund, Fund X, and collecting $1.575 billion,
a total that pushed its hard cap out by $75 million. Fund X will
continue the same strategy as the firms predecessor vehicles,
investing in industrial, office, residential and retail properties
with a view to achieving value-added returns The vehicle will
focus on major US markets with an emphasis on the East and
West coasts.

21

Oaktree Capital Management $3.021 billion

HQ: Los Angeles / Founded: 1995

Oaktree Capital Management owes much

of its prominent debut one of the highest
new entries in this years PERE 50 ranking to the fast pace
of investing by its most recent real estate funds. During the
second quarter of 2012, the Los Angeles-based investment
manager launched its latest real estate offering, Oaktree Real
Estate Opportunities Fund (ROF) VI, just a few months after the $1.3 billion final close of its predecessor, ROF V. Even
more remarkable, the earlier vehicles fundraising period began just 18 months earlier.
The pace of investment for ROF V was unusual for us,
said Oaktrees chairman, Howard Marks, during an earnings
call last year. Usually, the process is you raise the money and

22

Bank of America Merrill

Lynch Global Principal
Investments
$2.992 billion

HQ: New York / Life: 2005-2010

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Principal Investments is

a vestige of an era that once saw the likes of Lehman Brothers
and Citibank roam the earth as large opportunistic real estate
beasts. The firms European funds are now being managed by
Peakside Capital, while its pan-Asia fund, Merrill Lynch Asian
Real Estate Opportunities Fund, which raised $2.65 billion in
2008, is being managed by The Blackstone Group. The defunct
Bank of America Merrill Lynch platform will disappear from
the PERE 50 without a trace next year, when it falls outside the
rankings five-year fundraising window.

24

Northwood Investors
$2.809 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 2007

Northwood Investors continues to boost

its total equity haul with the 2012 closing on $500 million
in commitments for the third offering of its opportunistic
real estate fund, Northwood Real Estate Partners, and related co-investment vehicles. The new closing follows the
New York-based private equity real estate firms initial fundraising of $1.25 billion in August 2007 and a second capital-raise of more than $1 billion in September 2011. The
fund has a unique evergreen structure, whereby Northwood can add capital to the fund once each calendar year,
which is distinct from open-ended funds that can accept
capital on a more frequent basis.

then you invest it. ROF V was largely invested with each closing.
With ROF V now fully invested, Oaktree is now focused on investing and raising ROF VI. The firm held a first close on
$255 million in equity during the third
quarter of 2012, followed by a second
close in January, which brought the funMarks: unusual
draising total to $426 million. The fund,
pace
which began investing in September, had
amassed $746 million in commitments at
press time and is expected to exceed its $1.5 billion target by
the time fundraising concludes this year.

23

Walton Street Capital

$2.887 billion

25

Perella Weinberg Partners

$2.71 billion

HQ: Chicago / Founded: 1994

Walton Street Capital moves up seven spots in

this years ranking, thanks to the completion of the first round
of fundraising for its seventh commingled real estate fund, Walton Street Real Estate Fund VII, which attracted $710 million
in commitments from limited partners such as the Teachers
Retirement System of the State of Illinois and the Indiana Public Retirement System. The closing marks the first new equity
raised by the Chicago-based firm since Walton Street Real Estate Fund VI, which raised $1.9 billion in 2009. The firm, which
co-invested $50 million in the first closing, is expected to close
on an additional $300 million in commitments imminently.

HQ: New York / Founded: 2006

Another firm making its

debut in this years ranking is Perella Weinberg Partners, which received a boost from
raising some 900 million in equity commitments including a first close of more
than 600 million in July for its pan-European opportunistic real estate fund, Perella Weinberg Real Estate Fund II. The new
Bressler: doubling
capital haul, which included Dutch pension
down on Europe
fund administrator APG Asset Management as a limited partner, nearly doubles the
amount of equity that the New York-based asset management
firm had collected over the past five years. The firm, led in Europe by Leon Bressler, previously raised 1.2 billion for its debut
European vehicle, Perella Weinberg Real Estate Fund I, in 2008.
MAY 2013 | PERE

41

26

Lubert-Adler Partners
$2.604 billion

HQ: Philadelphia / Founded: 1997

Lubert-Adler Partners owes its position in the

PERE 50 ranking primarily to capital-raising endeavours on behalf of its 2008 fund, Lubert-Adler Real Estate Fund VI, which
raised just over $2 billion in equity commitments. The Philadelphia-based firm followed up that offering, which was geared towards larger deals, second-home developments and resort properties, with two co-investment vehicles in 2010 and 2011. As PERE
previously reported, Lubert-Adler is back in the market with
its next offering, Lubert-Adler Fund VII, with a target size of
$500 million and a hard cap of $850 million. The strategy is different this time around in that the focus is on middle-market retail,
multifamily, hotel and industrial assets in the US through joint
ventures with operating partners.

27

AEW Global $2.561 billion

HQ: Boston / Founded: 1981

AEW Global has slipped a little in the ranking

since last year, losing six places. The Bostonbased firm, which is a stalwart of the private equity real estate industry, last closed on a qualifying commingled fund in 2010, when
investors committed $424 million to AEW Partners VI. Of course,
it recently came to market with the latest offering in that series and
has attracted $89 million in equity so far. AEWs largest fundraise
over the past five years occurred in 2008 with European Property Investors Special Opportunities, which corralled $1.1 billion.
Also counting towards its five-year tally is AEW Value Investors
Asia ($557 million in 2008) and AEW Senior Housing Investors
($188 million in 2009).

29

Orion Capital Managers

$2.491 billion
HQ: London and Paris
Founded: 1999

Orion Capital Managers is the highest-ranked European firm

in the PERE 50 indeed, it is the only Europe-based firm
in the Top 30 if one overlooks MGPA, which is more of an
Asia-based operation, and Perella Weinberg Partners, which is headquartered in
New York. Orion makes the cut having
raised 1.28 billion for Orion European
Real Estate Fund III in 2009 and reportedly some 650 million for its follow-up
vehicle, Fund IV. Although that fund has
yet to close, the firm, which is fronted by
Van Stults, Bruce Bossom and Aref LahBossom:
ham, is understood to be targeting a simirepresenting
lar capital haul to that of its predecessor.
Europe

42

PERE | MAY 2013

28

Beacon Capital
Partners
$2.541 billion

HQ: Boston / Founded: 1998

Beacon Capital Partners is a big
decliner in the PERE 50 ranking,
down 20 places from its lofty perch
in the eighth spot last year. The last
significant fundraising by the Boston-based firm came on behalf of
Beacon Capital Strategic Partners
VI, which closed on $2.54 billion in
Leventhal: a big
2010. That is a good-sized fund, but
decline
it is notably less than the $4 billion
that the firm managed to attract
for Beacon Capital Strategic Partners V in 2007, which
now falls just outside the rankings five-year window.
Beacons fifth fund famously amassed a real estate
portfolio that included 42 office properties in the
Washington DC and Seattle areas, which were acquired from The Blackstone Group at the height of the
market in 2007 for $6.4 billion. In recent years, the
firm, led by Alan Leventhal, has restructured the debt
on properties in the fifth fund and has sold at least 10
assets with a total value of $3 billion.
In October, the Montana Board of Investments
added Beacons fifth fund to its watch list of troubled
investments. While the manager has done a good job
of trying to preserve value, suffering from the impact
the recession has had on office properties, the fund is
not expected to recover our cost, the pension plan
noted in documents from a board meeting. What, if
anything, that means for future fundraising activity
remains to be seen.

30

Alpha Investment
Partners
$2.42 billion

HQ: Singapore / Founded: 2003

Alpha Investment Partners is another new entry to the
PERE 50 ranking. The Asia-focused firm, which is headquartered in Singapore, sneaks into the Top 30 by dint
of two funds - Alpha Asia Macro Trends Fund, which
attracted $1.18 billion in equity in 2008, and Alpha
Asia Macro Trends Fund II, which has commitments of
$1.24 billion, including co-investments. Alpha has
$7.3 billion of gross assets under management, with just
under half of its 51 properties located in Japan. Its next
biggest market is Korea, followed by Singapore, Hong
Kong, China, India and Thailand.

31

DRA Advisors
$2.25 billion

HQ: New York / Founded: 1986

It has been 18 years since New Yorkbased DRA Advisors raised $189 million for its first private equity real estate fund. The 70-strong firm evidently
has been doing the right things since then as today it is
a $1 billion-plus fund manager. Its latest vehicle, DRA
Growth and Income Fund VII, brought aboard $1 billion
in equity commitments in 2011. For that money, investors can expect DRA to target existing properties with
good cash flows and, predictably, an emphasis on coastal
markets. Nevertheless, the strategy marks a continuation for the firm, proving predictability is one thing its
investors do not mind.

33

ARA Asset
Management
$2.074 billion

HQ: Singapore / Founded: 2002

In collecting $441 million in commitments for
ARA Asia Dragon Fund II, ARA Asset Management raised less than half the amount it originally
intended or, for that matter, than its predecessor fund collected. Still, the Singapore-based firm
received significant backing from the largest US
pension plan, the California Public Employees
Retirement System, outside the confines of its commingled funds. Besides placing $50 million into
Dragon Fund II, the $240 billion pension system
awarded a $480 million separate account mandate
to ARA for long-hold investments in Chinas retail
sector. Unfortunately, that capital does not count
for the purposes of the PERE 50 ranking not like
ARA minds, given all it has gained.

34

Rockpoint Group
$1.952 billion

HQ: Boston / Founded: 2003

Rockpoint Group had the biggest final

closing of the first quarter of 2013, raising $1.952 billion
in equity for Rockpoint Real Estate Fund IV, and that
haul alone determined the firms position in this years
PERE 50. As with most fundraises these days, it has been a
long slog getting over the finish line. Originally launched
in 2011, the fund held its first close on $330 million in
November that year. About $1.4 billion was raised by July
before Rockpoint finally closed the vehicle in March this
year. Distressed real estate is the label on the tin for this
fund, while the small print notes that 20 percent of the
equity can be deployed internationally.

32

KSL Capital Partners

$2.211 billion
HQ: Denver / Founded: 2005

The lions share of KSL Capital Partners qualifying equity for the PERE 50 ranking comes from KSL Capital
Partners Fund III, which it closed
on $2 billion in 2011. The Denverbased firm focuses on acquisitions
of complex, operationally-intensive
businesses and strives to unlock
hidden value through re-envisioning and repositioning. Indeed, KSL
Grove Park Inn Resort
has been busy putting its strategy to
& Spa: KSL sees value
the test with recent investments in
markets such as North Carolina, where it purchased the historic
Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa for more than $100 million in April
2012. Its capital has a global appetite as well. Earlier this year, KSL
was linked to bids for UK fitness chain David Lloyd Leisure, having already snapped up boutique hotel companies Malmaison and
Hotel du Vin.

35

Niam $1.91 billion

HQ: Stockholm / Founded: 1998

The strapline on the homepage of Niams

website reads partner of choice and, in
terms of support from institutional investors, it would be
tough to argue. Fifteen years after the firms formation, the
Stockholm-based fund manager has twice closed the largest vehicle focused on the Nordics, in 2008 and last year.
Dwarfing rival efforts in the region and surpassing its own
600 million target, its latest fund, Niam Nordic Fund V, collected 719 million, thanks to commitments from public and
corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments
and financial institutions both
old and new to the firm.
It has been a challenging fundraising environment, and we
are very pleased with having been
able to surpass our own target,
Johan Bergman, chief executive Stockholm: Niams playground
officer of Niam, said at the time
of Fund Vs closing. Perhaps he should not have been too surprised given the firms track record. Indeed, the firm stated at
that time that it had delivered leveraged IRRs of 31 percent
since inception.
Niams inclusion in the PERE 50 comes in part because
the ranking has been extended from 30 firms and in part because the sector as a whole has raised less equity through the
mega-funds and allocators that dominated prior to the global
financial crisis. Still, those factors should not detract from the
meaningful impact Niam has had in its markets, a point with
which institutional investors evidently concur.

MAY 2013 | PERE

43

36

Hemisferio Sul Investimentos $1.899 billion

37

Hines $1.884 billion

39

Cerberus Capital
Management $1.83 billion

HQ: So Paulo / Founded: 2011

Senior management changes evidently

havent diminished the fundraising power
of the real estate fund manager formerly known as Prosperitas Investimentos. In fact, the new entity, Hemisferio
Sul Investimentos, is the highest-ranking Latin Americafocused firm in the PERE 50 and one of several newcomers
to the ranking.
Maximo Lima, a founding partner of Prosperitas, formed
Hemisferio Sul in November 2011, following the exit of the
firms two other founding partners, Luciano Lewandowski
and Jorge Nunez. Prosperitas previously had raised three
Brazil-focused funds, including Prosperitas Real Estate Partners III, which closed on $750 million in 2011.
The new firm, which is led by Lima and four new partners,

HQ: Houston / Founded: 1957

Hines saw one of the biggest declines this

year, falling 16 spots in the PERE 50, now
that several of its funds, including the 647.10 million Hines
European Development Fund II and the $300 million Hines
India Fund, are no longer within the rankings five-year window. The Houston-based firm has raised just one new qualifying vehicle since last years ranking, the $210 million Hines
Value Added Venture III, but a substantial amount of its current tally comes from the nearly $1 billion in commitments that
Hines previously gathered in 2012 and 2011, such those for the
$515.8 million Hines Russia & Poland Fund.

HQ: New York

Founded: 1992

After attracting $1.25 billion in commitments for its second

opportunistic real estate fund, Cerberus Institutional Real
Estate Partners II, in 2010, Cerberus Capital Management
was back in the market with a successor fund last year.
Fund III, which is targeting $1.2 billion in commitments,
had raised $580 million as of press time. The new fundraising comes as no surprise when considering the pace at
which the New York-based investment firm has been putting
capital to work. Notably, in January, a Cerberus-led consortium
agreed to buy five grocery chains
comprising 877 retail stores from
Minneapolis-based retail giant
Supervalu: Cerberus
Supervalu for $3.3 billion.
sees value

44

PERE | MAY 2013

held a first close of $140 million

on its first offering, Hemisferio Sul Investimentos Fund IV, Monte Carmo Shopping: one
in early December. The fund
of the firms current projects
was oversubscribed just five
months later, with demand of $1 billion against a hard cap of
$650 million. The fund attracted commitments from 20 investors, all of which previously had invested with Prosperitas.
Despite the level of investor interest, Fund IV was sized
smaller than its predecessor vehicle, based on what Lima saw
as more limited opportunities in Brazil. You need to be careful not to raise too much money because its difficult to deploy
it, he told PERE last year. Wed rather go back to our investors more often than sit on so much capital.

38

GI Partners
$1.864 billion

40

GTIS Partners
$1.791 billion

HQ: Menlo Park, California

Founded: 2001

In recent years, GI Partners has raised capital primarily

through separate accounts, including a total of $754 million for TechCore and DataCore, through which the firm
will invest in technology-focused properties in the US on
behalf of the California Public Employees Retirement
System and the California State Teachers Retirement System, respectively. The California-based firms most recent
commingled effort, GI Partners Fund III, which collected
$1.864 billion in 2009, is the sole reason for its inclusion
in the PERE 50. However, if separate accounts continue to
represent the bulk of the firms new capital-raising efforts,
PERE may be bidding GI Partners adieu from the ranking
in two years.

HQ: New York / Founded: 2005

Raising the largest Brazil-focused real

estate fund ever certainly goes a long way in bolstering a
firms five-year equity tally. GTIS Partners, another firsttimer to the PERE 50 ranking, accomplished such a feat in
February 2012, closing on $810.2 million in commitments
for its second Brazilian real estate fund, GTIS Brazil Real
Estate Fund II, and significantly exceeding its original target of $500 million.
GTIS, however, isnt just focusing its capital-raising efforts on Brazil. The firm currently is in the market raising
GTIS US Residential Strategies Fund and, as of March, it
had amassed $185.85 million in equity towards a $400 million target, according to SEC filings.

41

Invesco Real Estate $1.662 billion

HQ: Atlanta / Founded: 1983

Invesco Real Estate is catching the

eye of the industry not only with
its fundraising activity but also with its acquisitions. The Atlanta-based firms big corporate move
arrived in Asia in 2011, when it bought a regional
platform from embattled insurer American International Group. Subsequently, it has expanded its
reach in the region to Australia.
Fundraising activity has encompassed all three
major regions, with vehicles closed for North America and Europe as well as Asia. Invesco currently is

42

Crow Holdings
$1.649 billion

44

Rockwood Capital
$1.629 billion

HQ: Dallas / Founded: 1998

Established in 1998, Crow Holdings manages the investments of the Trammell

Crow family and its partners. In 2008, the Dallasbased firm raised $951 million for Crow Holdings
Realty Partners V and is understood to have raised
nearly $700 million in commitments for its sixth
fund, which currently is in market. Like its predecessors, Realty Partners VI is targeting such US real
estate assets as industrial, grocery-anchored and
neighborhood retail properties, multifamily housing, offices, hotels and land. The vehicle, which will
include income-oriented investments with modest forecasted appreciation as well as value-added
investments, is expected to wrap up fundraising
sometime this year.

HQ: White Plains, New York

Founded: 1995

Rockwood Capital has raised just north of $1.6 billion over the last five years for its value-added real
estate strategy. In 2008, the White Plains, New
York-based firm collected $964 million for Rockwood Capital Real Estate Partners Fund VIII and,
more recently, followed up that effort with commitments of around $458 million so far for Fund IX. As
PERE reported, Rockwood is seeking $750 million
for its latest vehicle to invest in hotels, offices, residential and retail properties throughout the US that
are underperforming or suitable for redevelopment
or expansion. The firm launched the fund around
February of last year.

Williams Tower,
Boston: a landmark
investment

43

in the market with Invesco Asia Real Estate Partners

III, which is targeting around $800 million, according to a PERE report in January. Its latest fund to
close is the Invesco European Hotel Fund II, which
garnered 200 million in commitments.
Despite that activity, around $29 billion of Invescos $49 billion real estate portfolio comprises direct
property investments on behalf of clients. Some
$16 billion of that is focused on the US, including
the landmark Williams Tower in Boston, which it
acquired a few months ago.

CIM Group $1.632 billion

HQ: Los Angeles / Founded: 1994

CIM Group has slipped 16 places

in the PERE 50, primarily due to its
$2.37 billion CIM Real Estate Fund III now falling outside the rankings five-year window. Its last qualifying
fundraising endeavour saw the Los Angeles-based firm
close on $724 million for CIM Fund VI last year and return shortly afterwards with $360 million for Fund VIII,
Hollywood &
which currently is in the market. CIM also has raised Highland Center:
a CIM smash
significant co-investment capital over the past five years.
CIM manages three different strategies opportunistic funds, core/stabilized funds and infrastructure vehicles and specializes
in repositioning and development projects in established or emerging urban
neighbourhoods across the US. According to the firm, one of its most successful investments has been the 632,000-square-foot Hollywood & Highland Center in its hometown in 2004.

45

Berkshire Property
Advisors $1.619 billion
HQ: Boston / Founded: 1969

Berkshire Property Advisors has raised a series

of commingled funds and co-investment vehicles over the past five
years, establishing a foothold among the PERE 50 in doing so. Recent
fundraising activity by the Boston-based multifamily specialist includes $590 million for Berkshire Multifamily Value Fund II in 2008,
$260 million for Berskshire Multifamily Equity Fund in 2011 and $300
million for Berkshire Multifamily Value Fund Co-investment III last
year. That co-investment vehicle was formed on behalf of Australias
Future Fund to invest alongside Berkshire Multifamily Value Fund III,
to which the Australian investor committed an additional $50 million.
The arrangement cements a powerful relationship with an A$80 billion (64.2 billion; $84 billion) state fund. Future Fund held A$5.2 billion, or 6.4 percent of its total assets, in real estate as of 30 September,
and about 41 percent of that portfolio is invested in North America.

MAY 2013 | PERE

45

46

Harrison Street Real Estate Capital $1.518 billion

HQ: Chicago / Founded: 2006

Harrison Street Real Estate Capital has

made a name for itself by being one of
the few experts in niche markets such as off-campus student housing, senior housing, medical office buildings and
storage properties. Not only did the Christopher Merrill-led
firm launch a new opportunistic vehicle in December, but
the fund, Harrison Street Real Estate Partners IV, managed
to attract $465 million in commitments by March.
These days, Harrison Street finds itself in a very good
place. Student housing, one of the firms specialties, is becoming an increasingly popular property type among in-

47

vestors. Perhaps this is why the Chicagobased firm was able to raise nearly a half
billion dollars in just three months.
It also should be noted that Fund IV,
Merrill: niche
which is targeting between $600 million
player
and $700 million in equity, was launched
just a little more than 18 months after
Harrison Street closed its last commingled vehicle. In June
2011, Harrison Street Real Estate Partners III received more
than $595 million in commitments, exceeding its original
$500 million target.

GE Capital Real Estate $1.514 billion

HQ: Norwalk, Connecticut / Founded: 1972

Due to its prior investment funds, most of which closed in 2008 and 2011, GE Capital Real Estate makes its debut
on the PERE 50 list. Unfortunately, that honor may be short-lived as the Norwalk, Connecticut-based firm is in
the process of winding down its real estate equity investment management business. Witness the sale of the management contract
for its 240 million Polish Retail Fund to Valad Europe at the end of December and the departure of Jonathan Kern, its president of
global investment management, earlier this year. While GE Capital Real Estate plans to manage out a number of its current equity
holdings, the strategy going forward is to concentrate on the debt space.

48

Kayne Anderson Real

Estate Advisors
$1.411 billion

HQ: Armonk, New York / Founded: 2007

After closing its second opportunity fund on $575 million in
equity in October 2011, Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors, the real estate arm of Los Angeles-based private equity
firm Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors,
hit the fundraising trail with its third commingled real estate vehicle in early 2013.
The Armonk, New York-based student housing specialist, led by Al Rabil,
launched Kayne Anderson Real Estate
Partners (KAREP) III in January to target
off-campus student housing opportunities in the US. The opportunistic vehicle
Rabil: studiously
raising equity
is seeking $700 million in equity from
high-net-worth individuals, family offices,
foundations, endowments and pension plans. By mid-April,
the fund already had attracted $675 million in commitments.
Kayne Andersons prior fund, KAREP II, was raised over
the course of approximately one year, having held a first close
in December 2010. The firm still is investing on behalf of
KAREP II, with approximately 75 percent of the capital accounted for, and it is anticipated that the fund will be fully
invested by the third quarter.

46

PERE | MAY 2013

49

Spear Street Capital

$1.40 billion

50

Stockbridge Capital Group

$1.37 billion

HQ: San Francisco / Founded: 2001

Spear Street Capital, which has closed on

$1.4 billion in equity since 2008, focuses on US office assets
and portfolios valued at more than $25 million. Target assets
are well-located properties that can generate high returns
through proactive leasing efforts, physical improvement
or repositioning, entitlement changes or the realization of
adaptive re-use strategies. Properties in the San Franciscobased firms portfolio include Research Park Plaza I & II in
Austin and Montague Park in San Jose.

HQ: San Francisco / Founded: 2003

Last summer, Stockbridge Capital Group

closed on $220 million for its first value-added real estate
fund, Stockbridge Value Fund. That fund will pursue office,
industrial, retail and multifamily investments in major US
markets, with a focus on distressed properties and portfolios
that are undervalued or underutilized. Previously, the San
Francisco-based firm sponsored three opportunistic funds
and related co-investment vehicles that raised a total of
$2.6 billion. Its last opportunistic fund, Stockbridge Real Estate Fund III, closed in 2008 and raised $1.15 billion.

Top 10 recent fundraising efforts

The fundraising environment for real estate funds continued to be challenging, but some firms were able to close on significant
amounts of capital in 2012 and the first few months of 2013. Below are the 10 biggest closers of capital over that timeframe
Rank

Equity raised
(US$m)

Year of final
or interim
close

Firm

Fund name

The Blackstone Group

Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII

$13,376.20

2012

Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund IX

$4,200.00

2013

Brookfield Asset Management

Brookfield Strategic Real Estate Partners*

$2,630.00

2012

Rockpoint Group

Rockpoint Real Estate Fund IV

$1,951.80

2013

Fortress Investment Group

Fortress Japan Opportunities Fund II

$1,650.00

2012

Westbrook Partners

Westbrook Real Estate Fund IX

$1,588.00

2012

TA Associates Realty

Realty Associates Fund X

$1,575.00

2013

Angelo, Gordon & Co

AG Realty Fund VIII

$1,265.00

2012

Patron Capital

Patron Capital IV

$1,155.36

2012

10

CBRE Global Investors

CBRE Strategic Partners US Value 6

$1,100.00

2012

Note: * still in market

A buyers market

A good time to sell

The firms in this years PERE 50 purchased some $88.2 billion

of property since the start of 2012, according to Real Capital
Analytics. The Blackstone Group was far and away the most
active buyer, outdistancing the next closest firm Starwood
Capital Group by more than $9 billion.

According to Real Capital Analytics, the firms in this years

PERE 50 sold $78.8 billion of property since the start of 2012.
The Blackstone Group topped all sellers, offloading $7.4 billion
in real estate assets over the past five quarters.

The top 5 sellers

$14.8

$5.6

Blackstone

$5.3

$3.9

$5.3

Sales volume in US$bn

Sales volume in US$bn

The top 5 buyers

$16
$14
$12
$10
$8
$6
$4
$2
$0

Lone Star
Starwood Invesco Real LaSalle
Estate
Investment
Capital
Management
Group

$8
$7
$6
$5
$4
$3
$2
$1
$0

$7.4
$5.7

Blackstone

$5.1

Prudential
LaSalle
Investment Real Estate
Management Investors

$5.0

$4.8

Goldman
Sachs

Morgan
Stanley

Net results
With just a few exceptions, the firms of the PERE 50 engaged in both the buying and selling of real estate assets over the five
quarters since the start of 2012. Among net buyers, look no further than The Blackstone Group, with more than $7.4 billion in net
purchases. For net sellers, GE Capital led all firms with $3.7 billion in net sales.

The top 5 net sellers

$7.4

$3.8
$2.8

Blackstone

$2.1

$1.6

Lone Star
Starwood Invesco Real LaSalle
Estate
Investment
Capital
Management
Group

Sales volume in US$bn

Sales volume in US$bn

The top 5 net buyers

$8
$7
$6
$5
$4
$3
$2
$1
$0

$4.0
$3.5
$3.0
$2.5
$2.0
$1.5
$1.0
$0.5
$0

$3.7

$2.0

GE Capital
Real Estate

Goldman
Sachs

$2.0

$1.9

$1.6

AEW Capital
LaSalle
Prudential
Real Estate Investment Management
Investors Management

Data provider Real Capital Analytics has tracked the volume and value of property transactions for the PERE 50 firms from January 2012 to the end of March 2013.
The data is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. It includes direct property transactions only and covers activity by the parent companies as well as by a
firms dedicated real estate funds. Full deal credit is allocated to both joint venture partners. Real Capital Analytics, Inc. 2013. http://rcanalytics.com

MAY 2013 | PERE

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