Former Oxenwood co-founder sets up new investment firm

Oxenwood Real Estate co-founder Jeremy Bishop, who stepped down from the company at the end of last year, has launched a new investment and development firm called Arkus Real Estate, which seeks to take advantage of cyclical repositioning opportunities. Arkus will focus on repositioning obsolete and outdated properties across the UK into grade-A, sustainable, fit-for-purpose industrial and logistics assets. This approach to acquisitions will broaden out to a more agnostic approach to other asset classes. Its strategy will explore only sites in specific UK locations and where there is adequate power supply to meet the demands of modern logistics businesses. The firm will act on opportunities arising from the pricing reset caused by the convergence of 2023’s soaring interest rates, the impact of technology on logistics, office and retail real estate, and continued demand for best-in-class ESG standards shaping occupier and investor requirements. Arkus intends to raise capital from institutional and family office investors from the UK and overseas. To support its strategy, the firm has hired an asset manager from Oxenwood and an investment analyst from Monta Capital.  Jeremy Bishop, founder and chief executive of Arkus (pictured), said: “During the past 10 years there has been a profound dislocation in property markets, setting the scene for a substantial volume of repositioning and redevelopment opportunities.  “With interest rates likely to remain higher than the recent norm, Arkus Real Estate is focused on strategic stock selection, making investments where we can drive returns through asset and development management to create portfolios of high-quality assets, generating recurring and growing income streams.” Bishop added: “To my mind, 2024 will be seen to be a good time to be deploying capital into real estate again. Opportunistic investors who see the potential in the sector and who welcome a collaborative approach with skilled partners will be very well placed to take advantage at this stage in the new cycle.  “With a tranche of refinancings due and interest rates still at relative highs, now is exactly the right time for a firm such as Arkus to use its specialist expertise to seize the opportunities on behalf of investors.” Bishop co-founded Oxenwood Real Estate in 2014 and remains an investor in the firm.  Photo courtesy of SEC Newgate