- Blackstone’s CRE division is adapting to higher interest rates, moving into riskier areas to maintain returns.
- The firm is focusing on logistics, student housing, and life sciences, while offices and shops face declining demand.
- Blackstone’s strategic approach is being tested as it navigates a more challenging investment landscape.
As the era of cheap money fades, the world’s largest real estate investor must navigate uncharted waters in pursuit of stellar returns, reports Bloomberg.
Evolving Strategy
Nadeem Meghji, now co-leading Blackstone’s (BX) $339B global property arm with Kathleen McCarthy, faces a tough CRE landscape marked by sustained high interest rates.
As an example, during his honeymoon in New Zealand, Meghji helped broker a critical $4B deal with the University of California to bolster BREIT reserves. This move came just in time, as BREIT capped investor withdrawals.
Adapting to Change
Blackstone’s historical success in CRE involved leveraging a massive war chest to acquire vast distressed property portfolios. The firm’s €21B recapitalization of Mileway’s urban logistics, for example, was made possible by near-zero interest rates.
But these days, even Blackstone must focus more on fundamentals, selecting prime locations and assets to drive rent growth. With traditional sectors like offices and shops losing some of their luster, Blackstone is also actively investing in data centers, logistics, student housing, and life sciences.
Too Big to Fail?
Despite ongoing challenges, Blackstone is leveraging its unprecedented scale and unparalleled data access to identify and capitalize on new opportunities. Notably, the firm’s tenth fund in its main real estate fund series, Blackstone Real Estate Partners X raised nearly $30.4B.
However, while the firm has achieved an impressive 16% net IRR on the BREP family of funds over the past 30 years, overall ROI has fallen significantly since the first three funds launched. Since then, returns have been respectable, but uneven. And the bigger the raises get, the harder it will be to sustain 16% returns.
Why It Matters
As it seeks to deploy $65B in a tough market, Blackstone remains confident that its extensive experience, scale, and unparalleled access to data will continue to provide a competitive edge.
Of course, the global asset manager is also staying open-minded. Notably, Blackstone has already cautiously re-entered the retail market after acquiring landmark luxury properties in Paris and London.
