Liverpool developer Downing is venturing into real estate investment management.
- Partnering with Jessica Hardman, they launch Aboria Capital in London.
- Aboria Capital aims to manage Downing’s £1.6bn project pipeline.
- Their portfolio includes the significant Square Gardens co-living scheme.
- This move taps into opportunities within the UK and European living sector.
Liverpool developer Downing has announced its entry into the real estate investment management sector. The company has launched a new venture, Aboria Capital, in partnership with Jessica Hardman, the current president of the British Property Federation and former UK chief executive of German investment manager DWS. This collaboration aims to leverage Hardman’s extensive experience in asset management from her career with Deutsche Bank and DWS.
Aboria Capital, based in London, is poised to manage and realise Downing’s substantial £1.6bn project pipeline. This ambitious undertaking includes ten new projects scheduled to commence across various UK locations in the next two years. The centrepiece of this portfolio is the £400m, 2,500-bed Square Gardens co-living scheme being developed in Manchester, which will serve as a primary asset to establish the firm’s market presence.
Jessica Hardman notes the strategic appeal of the UK and European living sectors, which remain attractive to international investors, particularly where a vertically integrated value chain is offered across both investment and operational disciplines. This strategic initiative by Downing aligns with these market dynamics and aims to capitalise on the regional interest.
Bay Downing, a director at Downing, emphasised the company’s strategic timing in launching Aboria Capital, indicating that the current market dislocation presents cyclical investment opportunities that promise long-term generational value. He remarked on the complementary strengths in real estate and global investment management that this partnership brings together, expressing a commitment to upcoming developments in this promising endeavour.
Downing’s collaborative foray with Aboria Capital marks a strategic expansion into the thriving UK and European living sector.
