The luxury real estate company Signa Prime Selection AG is selling valuable properties in Austria as part of its insolvency proceedings. As the insolvency administration announced, the building of the Austrian Constitutional Court, the luxury hotel Park Hyatt Vienna and the upscale Goldenes Quartier shopping mile in Vienna are to find new owners.
Also for sale is a shopping center in Innsbruck, which was one of Signa founder René Benko’s first high-profile projects 20 years ago. There was no information on the future of German Signa properties on Tuesday. Signa Prime’s portfolio includes the Alte Akademie in Munich, Hauptwache 1 in Frankfurt and the Elbtower project in Hamburg.
By mid-January, Signa Prime’s creditors had registered claims of around 464 million euros. During the insolvency proceedings, at least 30 percent of the outstanding amounts should be repaid. This will be partially financed by the structured sale of buildings that is now beginning, according to the insolvency administrator, the Viennese law firm Abel. “The structured sale of Signa Prime Assets GmbH starts today and is an essential part of the restructuring concept of Signa Prime Selection. The sale is intended to realize part of the financial resources required to fulfill the targeted restructuring plan in the interests of the creditors,” said Attorney Norbert Abel.
The Signa Group, founded by the Austrian entrepreneur Benko, expanded rapidly during the low interest rate phase. As interest rates, construction costs and energy prices rose sharply, the real estate and trading group slipped into crisis.
