Belgium

Recent work highlights

Planning and environmental

  • Klépierre | Assisting Klépierre on various aspects of their shopping mall in Louvain-la-Neuve, including its extension.
  • AG Real Estate | Advising on various planning related matters in relation with ongoing construction and refurbishment projects in the retail/office and housing segments.
  • Plastic Omnium | Advice in the context of the development of a research center in Brussels including planning and environmental advice.

Construction and development

  • Unibail Rodamco | Advising Unibail Rodamco and the winning consortium on the €550m redevelopment of the Heysel site (Project NEO) as a mixed use project comprising a shopping mall, 590 housing units, two day nurseries, 3,500m² offices, a retirement home, 112,000m² dedicated to indoor and outdoor leisure and 30 restaurants.
  • Pharma Belgium | Assisting Pharma Belgium in their recent expansion plans in Belgium and the establishment of new logistic and warehouse centers both in the Walloon and the Flemish regions.
  • NH Hotels | Advising NH Hotels on the sale of a hotel located in Ghent. This building has been sold to private developer Promiris that shall redevelop the building in the coming next months.
  • Castleforge | Assisting private real estate investment firm Castleforge Partners (and its Belgian asset/property manager Phicap) in the drafting and negotiation of the construction agreement (architect, contractor, engineer, etc.) relating to two office buildings, in Brussels CBD and the center of Antwerp.
  • Eiffage Développement | Advising Eiffage Développement in connection with a long-term occupation agreement to be proposed to possible tenants of a brand new office development in the Brussels vicinity.

Investment and disposal

  • Coca Cola | Assisting Investcorp on the acquisition of the Brussels Headquarters of Coca-Cola in the context of a sale and leaseback transaction. The acquisition was financed by Helaba. The transaction was structured in a fairly complex manner with Luxembourg intermediate holding and financing structures.
  • Seven | Advising HSBC on the acquisition of “Immo-Jacqmain”, a Belgian SPV that owns an office building located at 7 Boulevard Albert II in Brussels from two Flemishdevelopers, Baltisse and Downtown.
  • M&G Real Estate | Advising M&G in the management of their Belgian portfolio including acquisition and disposal of office buildings in Brussels CBD.
  • Leoville Properties | Assisting Leoville Properties SCA through numerous share deals acquisitions, with retail properties essentially located in high-street in Brussels, Antwerpen and Gent. Leoville is a Belgian retail investment fund, specialized in long term capital development.
  • HNW individuals led by HSBC Private Bank in Luxembourg | The transaction involved the acquisition of “Immo-Jacqmain”, a Belgian SPV that owns an office building located at 7 Boulevard Albert II in Brussels from two Flemish developers, Baltisse and Downtown. The building is let a.o. to Fosbury & Sons, Luminus and the Flemish Government.

Managers and occupiers

  • Logicor | Advising Logicor, a European leading warehouse and logistics company, in all tax and legal matters relating to their logistic properties across Belgium.
  • DSV | Advising DSV on the sale and leaseback of logistics units in Flanders.
  • Aroundtown | Advising Aroundtown in the context of the rebranding (from private white label to major international brand) of the President Hotel in Brussels North. This included reviewing the Franchise Agreement, Property Owner Agreement, Lease Agreement, Guarantee agreement, etc.
  • Standard International | Acting for the American hotel operator Standard International in the negotiation of a long-term hotel management agreement with a view to operate a brand-new 5 stars hotel currently under development in old iconic Brussels towers being entirely refurbished.
  • Immowal | Assisting Immowal (Administrative arm of the Walloon government), in the open bit process for the choice of a 15.000 m2 office building to be taken into occupation for a 20 year period.
  • Pierre & Vacances | Advising French group Pierre & Vacances on a large range of real estate matters in relation with their 3 large leisure parcs based in Belgium as well as their apart hotel properties located in CBD.
  • Ennismore Hotel Hoxton | Acting for the London based hotel operator Ennismore in the negotiation of a long-term hotel management agreement to operate a brand-new 5 stars hotel under the brand “Hoxton” in Brussels central district.

Financing

  • Aareal Bank of Germany | Advising long standing client Aareal Bank of Germany in connection with the refinancing of the acquisition of the ”Mondrian”, an iconic office building located at Rue du Champ de Mars in Brussels. The building is owned by Fondo Cicerone, asset managed by CBRE Global Investors and occupied by the EC under a usufruct contract.
  • NH Hotels | Advising NH Hotels on various transactions, including their acquisition of a 20+ years lease of two Brussels hotels totalling more than 500 rooms from hotel investment fund Pandox, the renegotiation of their emphytiotic lease on a major hotel in Brussels owned by WestInvest and on the development of a new 180 rooms hotel in Antwerp.
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Located in Brussels and Antwerp4 real estate partners and
counsels and 12 lawyers
Languages: Dutch, English, French

 

Key contacts

Pierre-Axel Chabot
Partner
Brussels
T +32 2 743 69 39
Bruno Duquesne
Partner
Brussels
T +32 2 743 69 40