Vukile Property Fund today announced that its 99.7% owned subsidiary Castellana Properties will acquire a 50% stake in the iconic, prime Splau Shopping Centre in Barcelona Spain, further advancing its strategy of investing in dominant, high-performing retail assets.
The 50% stake in Splau is being acquired from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), the owner, developer and manager of high-quality, sustainable real estate assets in Europe and the United States. Structured as a 50:50 joint venture, the transaction is the third between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), Castellana and Vukile, and marks the beginning of a long-term partnership as co-owners of Splau. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) will continue to oversee the day-to-day management of the shopping centre, whilst a joint asset management forum will provide strategic direction, ensuring long-term value creation.
Splau Shopping Centre is valued at €350 million with Castellana’s 50% stake worth €175 million. The transaction will be earnings accretive for Castellana. The acquisition will be fully funded through existing cash resources, with completion expected before the end of April 2026.
Acquiring Splau continues Vukile’s disciplined capital recycling strategy into high quality, higher-growth retail assets in Spain. In 2026 so far, it has completed the sale of its portfolio of nine retail parks in Spain for €279 million, a landmark acquisition of the Berceo shopping centre in Logroño for €101 million and the acquisition of Islazul shopping centre in Madrid for €318 million, advancing Castellana’s focused strategy of acquiring dominant shopping centres with strong catchments, strong growth potential and clear asset management upside.
The 54 689m² Splau Shopping Centre further diversifies and strengthens Castellana’s portfolio, which now ranks amongst the strongest in Iberia and includes dominant assets in all three of Spain’s largest cities – Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
Laurence Rapp, CEO of Vukile Property Fund, comments, “This acquisition reflects our continued confidence in Spain’s retail real estate market and our ability to secure dominant assets with strong fundamentals and growth potential. We are particularly pleased to carry out this transaction alongside our esteemed partner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW).
Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city and Catalonia’s capital, is one of the most visited cities in the world, drawing around 20 million tourists annually. It combines culture, innovation and world-class cuisine with modern infrastructure and high living standards. The city fosters a vibrant professional scene, emphasising innovation, quality higher education and strong support for start-ups and tech businesses, making it an attractive destination for strategic investments.
Splau is strategically positioned in Cornella de Llobregat at Barcelona’s southern gateway and offers access to a dynamic and expanding catchment area. It holds a large market share in its catchment of about 1 million people and is easily accessible by multiple public and private transport modes with a highly desirable and convenient location next to RCDE Stadium, home of RCD Espanyol.
Opened in 2010, the centre comprises a diverse mix of 151 stores, serving Barcelona and its surrounds. The comprehensive Splau shopping experience features leading Inditex brands including Zara, Lefties, Stradivarius, Bershka and Pull&Bear, along with other top brands such as Primark, Fnac, Mercadona, Media Mark and JD Sports. A highlight is its popular food and leisure attractions with more than 36 restaurants, a bowling alley and Spain’s largest cinema.
The centre offers strong value-add potential through tenant mix improvements, expanding food and beverage options, and development projects linked to local population growth and CSR initiatives.
Vukile’s Iberian platform, which launched in the Spanish market through Castellana Properties, has evolved into a curated portfolio of dominant shopping centres across Spain and Portugal, with a strategy centred on dominant retail assets in strong catchments, resilient tenant demand and diversified income streams emanating from blue-chip tenants, and clear growth prospects through repositioning or value-creation opportunities.
Following the disposal of the retail parks and the acquisitions of Berceo, Islazul and Splau, Castellana Properties’ portfolio will comprise 15 assets across Spain and Portugal, with a total GLA of 594,420m2 and a total portfolio value approaching of €2.2 billion.“Our asset rotation in Spain reinforces Vukile’s disciplined approach to capital allocation. Vukile will continue to pursue a disciplined pipeline of accretive acquisition opportunities, supported by our established platform and partnerships, our specialist retail expertise and strong access to capital and deal flows,” says Rapp.