Eight Capital transforms assets through branding, design and content
Hong Kong, Jan 9, 2018 - Eight Partnership is today announcing the launch of Eight Capital Partners, a private equity business dedicated to design and creative-led real estate investment. The unit will leverage two decades of expertise in repositioning property assets, making them more liveable, more inspiring, and ultimately, more financially valuable. Experience working with clients such as Blackstone, Swire Properties, Mori Building and Xintiandi has provided Eight with the blueprint for successful real estate transformations.
Design and creativity are now recognised by leading investors as some of the most impactful drivers of value in real estate. By repositioning assets through branding and design as well as bringing in the right content - new retail concepts, restaurants, bars and entertainment, art and culture, events - Eight Capital’s work will significantly drive value. This can be done with single buildings, clusters of buildings or complete neighbourhoods.
“Beyond bringing investment capabilities to the table, Eight Capital is really about assembling the right team of competent and culturally compatible partners - the so-called ‘smart money’ of real estate around each specific project.” says Bjorn Fjelddahl, Managing Partner at Eight.
One of Eight Capital’s most significant projects to date is Odin Property in Niseko, on the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. Since 2007, the investment has grown into a portfolio of successful residential, hospitality and retail assets, both new builds and renovations. Integral to the Odin brand is the creation of hospitality and entertainment venues that add life and buzz to buildings, including multiple F&B concepts and innovative collaborations with high-powered retail brands such as Moncler and Burton Snowboards.
Nicolas Gontard joins Eight Capital as a partner after operating Odin assets in Niseko for the past few years. “Japan has been a great adventure for us all,” he says. ”We started off with acquisition, design and construction work, to which we’ve gradually added competencies in food and beverage, hospitality and retail content.”
Eight Partner, Chris Fjelddahl says that the new division is the culmination of the firm’s long-standing real estate in Asia and globally.
“We have worked with owners on iconic and challenging projects across all asset classes in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and even Colombo, Mauritius and Barcelona. We love working with family offices to seek out hidden value in their portfolios, or with investment funds and developers, to drive hyper-returns using creative-led strategies.”
Find out more about Eight Capital Partners here.