Plus-sized ambitions
CF Plus has become Poland's first real-estate integrator, implementing construction projects in a range of sectors with a number of partners and investors. Thanks to good investor relations and its know-how, the company engages investment cooperatives, developers, real-estate investors, investment funds, institutions and individuals from both Poland and abroad.
"We have approached the real-estate market on the basis of integrating various real-estate segments everywhere from retail, banking, residential etc. If any of these segments fall or if there is a market correction, our shareholders can always benefit from moving into the other sector and it will balance out the market price correction. We actually bring in ideas with our joint-venture partners and find financing for these projects," says Sanjay Kantaria, member of the CF Plus investment committee.
To illustrate his point, Kantaria gives the example of a joint venture for retail-banking units. "We founded the project to set up the first 10 units. We are now targeting [a start on] the first 100 towards the end of the next six to eight months ... This is an example of setting up a net of retail-banking units with a real-estate backbone," says Kantaria.
A timely formula
Marek Tarchalski, the president of CF Plus, says that with current levels of market growth and increasing competition, the market-integrator formula allows the company to adapt to any investment conditions.
"Through our collaboration we offer many Polish companies from the construction sector a chance at development. This approach gives us an opportunity to acquire the necessary funds, and to work with professional partners and contractors," adds Tarchalski.
According to Tarchalski, this approach will result in a new portfolio of investments worth zł.700 million within the next three years. This year, the company plans to spend zł.100 million, mostly on projects located in Poland, including Tri-city, where the company is based, and the Pomorskie voivodship. The list of projects includes residential developments such as Sarnia Dolina in Gdańsk, apartment complexes on Pl. Kaszubski, ul. Portowa and ul. Kapitańska in Gdynia, a residential complex in Sopot, Sadowa Business Park in Gdańsk and a warehouse in Tczew.
Integrating abroad
CF Plus wants to invest in other Polish cities such us Warsaw, Kraków and secondary cities, as well as in Croatia, Romania and Slovakia. Further down the road, it plans to enter Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania.
Himanshu Patel, CF Plus' deputy president, says that the boom in these countries will start later. "In the future we are aiming to become a worldwide company," he states. The company is also considering an entry onto the WSE.
