LOGOS and Manulife Investment Management announce the establishment of LOGOS Korea Core Venture and the forward purchase of a c.US$200m asset in the Seoul Capital Area

Media
Monday 22nd August 2022

LOGOS and Manulife Investment Management, on behalf of Manulife Asia, are pleased to announce the establishment of the LOGOS Korea Core Venture and acquisition of its seed asset, LOGOS Siheung Logistics Centre; a circa US$200m forward purchase logistics facility in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA). This is LOGOS’ second partnership with Manulife, with this acquisition being an important investment to support the strong demand for modern, high-quality logistics facilities in Korea.

Located in the Banwol-Siwha National Industrial Complex in Gyeonggi Province, approximately 50 minutes from Seoul CBD, the LOGOS Siheung Logistics Centre will comprise state-of-the-art dry and cold warehouse facilities when completed in early 2024. The property has been designed by one of Korea’s largest architecture firms and is being developed by a highly experienced warehouse contractor. The property will offer a total GFA of c.100,000 sqm on completion and will be LEED Gold certified.

Trent Iliffe, LOGOS’ Managing Director and Co-CEO, said: “We are very pleased to be extending our partnership with Manulife Investment Management into Korea, having welcomed them into our business in our Vietnam venture earlier this year. Korea is a key growth market for LOGOS, and we look forward to delivering on the many opportunities through this new partnership.”

LOGOS’ Head of Korea, Sung Park, said, “Ecommerce continues to reshape logistics requirements in Korea, with occupiers requiring modern logistics facilities and increasingly sophisticated solutions to address the continuing growing demand in this market. The acquisition of the LOGOS Siheung Logistics Centre property is a rare opportunity to acquire a significantly de-risked, institutional-grade asset in a supply constrained location of the Seoul Capital Area. The property will provide our tenants with state-of-the-art facilities that can incorporate automation and other leading technologies to service their customers in Seoul and across Korea.”

A joint statement from Gerald Posthuma, Chief Investment Officer of Asia General Account Investments and Jessie Liu, Managing Director and Head of Asia Real Estate Transactions for Manulife, reads “We are delighted to partner with LOGOS again shortly after our Vietnam venture as we continue our expansion across the region. Korea is a key market in the APAC region and modern warehouses and distribution centres continue to benefit from the country’s advanced and growing ecommerce. The LOGOS Siheung Logistics Centre will be a great addition to the logistics portfolio of Manulife’s General Account. Expected to be a LEED Gold certified property post completion, it underscores our commitment to sustainable investing, through which we believe the resiliency of our investments can be strengthened.”

The LOGOS Korea Core Venture is LOGOS’ second venture in Korea. The Korea development venture was launched earlier this year with total investment capacity of US$1.3 billion alongside Dutch fund manager Bouwinvest and two other existing institutional investors.

Both ventures enable LOGOS and its partners to set new standard for sustainable logistics property solutions in Korea.

LOGOS’ Asia Pacific portfolio comprises over 100 logistics estates across 10 countries with total Assets Under Management (AUM) of over US$19.9 billion.