M7 partners with Goldman Sachs on big-box logistics venture

M7 Real Estate has teamed up with Goldman Sachs to launch a new big-box logistics investment and operating platform. The venture, called Mirastar, will be led by Ekaterina Avdonina, the co-founder and former managing director of Delin Capital Asset Management, and Anthony Butler, former chief investment officer at DCAM. Mirastar will source and target a portfolio of big-box logistics developments and investments in Europe in partnership with Goldman Sachs, mainly focusing on core Western European markets. Avdonina will lead the venture as its chief executive. She co-founded DCAM in 2011, where she was head of investments, before moving into the managing director role. Meanwhile Butler, who joined DCAM in 2018, drove investment deals and played a key part in setting up its third-party fund management division. He will be the chief investment officer at Mirastar. His previous roles also include global head of indirect business at Generali and head of European real estate at TIAA Henderson Real Estate. Richard Croft, chief executive of M7, said: “Ekaterina and Anthony are a formidable team, and we are very pleased to put our support behind their new venture in Mirastar.  “Big-box logistics is an area of the market we’ve been looking to increase our exposure to, building on our leading position in European industrial and urban logistics and utilising our network of 13 offices across Europe.” Avdonina said: “The mandate we have been awarded by Goldman Sachs is a strong endorsement at the very outset of our journey with Mirastar.  “We look forward to growing the platform and building a best in class specialist in big-box logistics assets, utilising the on-the-ground capabilities that our partnership with M7 provides.” Butler added: “We believe that there remains a significant opportunity in the growth of ecommerce on the continent, which is behind the UK in its uptake and which is a structural trend that is positively underpinning occupier and investor demand for big-box logistics assets.  “With a proven track record in deploying big-box strategies, and the strong synergies we have with M7’s platform, we are confident that we can deliver value for clients looking to enter or increase their allocation to this sub-sector.” To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@egi.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @estatesgazette