Prologis And Norwegian Investment Arm In $2 Billion US Logistics Warehouse Venture

Logistics real estate giant Prologis Inc. PLD and Norges Bank Investment Management, the investment arm of Norway's oil fund, have struck a deal to acquire a 19 million-square-foot U.S. portfolio in a $1.99 billion deal, the Norges Bank arm said.

Under the terms of a joint venture agreement, the Norges Bank unit will acquire a 45% stake for approximately $896 million. Prologis will control the remaining 55% and manage the properties. The transaction will not require any financing to be consummated, the unit said.

The joint venture is buying 127 properties in multiple U.S. markets, notably Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Dallas.

The deal is an outgrowth of Prologis' $3.99 billion acquisition in July of Industrial Property Trust Inc., whose 375 million-square-foot portfolio comprised 236 properties, 96% of which were in existing Prologis markets.

Launched in 1996, the Norwegian oil fund today holds small stakes in more than 9,000 companies worldwide, according to the investment arm. On any given trading day, it holds 1.4% of all of the world's publicly traded companies.

Prologis, the world's largest developer, owner and operator of logistics warehouses, controls 797 million square feet worldwide. Of that, 460 million square feet is in the U.S.

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