Fairway advised Axa Investment Managers – Real Assets in the setting up of a partnership aimed at accelerating the development of the REI Habitat group with the entry of Axa IM – Real Assets in the group’s capital up to 49%.
The objective of this partnership is to accelerate the development of REI Habitat and, at the same time, to invest “sustainably” in the French forest-wood sector. The ambition of the REI Habitat group is now to develop over the next 7 years more than 400,000 sq.m of housing and offices in wood structure on the whole national territory, representing approximately 120,000 cubic meters of French wood, corresponding to a significant increase in activity for the French forest-wood sector. The group’s investments will support the industrial development necessary to structure the sector, and should allow the beginning of the reversal of its trade balance deficit. While forests in France represent 31% of the national territory for 16.9 million hectares, and 440,000 jobs (as many as the automotive sector), the sector’s balance of trade is in deficit by €7 billion. This resource is under-exploited whereas wood currently represents only 6% of the construction of collective housing in France.
The main objective of this partnership is to create a major “made in France”,” says Paul Jarquin, founder and CEO of REI Habitat. It will accelerate the use of local wood in real estate development and support the structuring of the French forest-wood industry. It is an opportunity to build a real social project around forests. »
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with REI Habitat, which demonstrates our commitment to the development of woodland real estate development, with an approach whose objectives we fully share, particularly in terms of responsible forest management, protection and preservation of biodiversity,” said Isabelle Scemama, CEO of AXA IM Real-Assets.
Concerned about the fragility of forest production, amplified by the rapid effects of global warming, the two partners REI Habitat and AXA IM – Real Assets, as well as Fairway and all the players who contributed to the implementation of this partnership, are committed to donating part of the transaction fees in the form of sponsorship to the ” Plantons pour l’avenir ” fund. The purpose of this endowment fund, created and supported by professionals in the sector since 2014, is to support deforestation projects in France for sustainable management, as well as education and research projects as part of its public interest mission to protect the environment.