King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin has advised Evans Randall, the privately-held UK investment banking and private equity group, in connection with the refinancing of its senior debt position on its prime retail shopping centre, the Königsbau Passagen, in Stuttgart, Germany. The transaction, which has replaced the existing facility from HSH Nordbank, includes a senior facility from various Allianz entities for €145 million and a mezzanine facility of €37.5 million provided by European Real Estate Debt II S.á.r.l. which has been advised by DRC Capital.

Baker & McKenzie advised on a €248 million financing agreement for FONDIS, AEW Europe’s French core retail vehicle, that owns a portfolio with current value of approximately €400 million.

This agreement enables the refinancing of the existing borrowings of FONDIS, that matured on December 31, 2013. It also provides a new credit line for which the drawdown period is 3 years.

Real Estate lawyers at Burges Salmon have helped an existing client, on instructions from Sabal Financial, refinance two shopping centres as part of a facility, provided by Deutsche Bank and secured on a wider portfolio of properties, worth £94 million. The Real Estate team was supported by the firm's specialist Construction, Planning and Environment lawyers.

Mayer Brown has advised Macquarie Bank Limited on a three-year €32.5 million facility for Sirius Real Estate Limited. The facility will be used to refinance nine assets as part of a wider restructuring aimed at maintaining a well balanced portfolio of high income-producing assets within the Sirius group.

In January 2013, Mayer Brown advised Macquarie Bank on a four-year €28.5 million facility for Sirius Real Estate, which was used to refinance five other assets. Both transactions were linked as part of the new restructure by way of cross guarantees.

Simmons & Simmons has advised investment manager Meyer Bergman on the acquisition and financing of the Karstadt Department Store at Berlin’s Hermannplatz from investment consortium Highstreet Holding.

The 90.000 m^2 building is one of the largest city-centre department stores in Germany and has been purchased by the Meyer Bergman managed Meyer Bergman European Retail Partners II fund. The store itself is adjoined by a multi-storey car park with space for 680 vehicles and integrates a block for office and residential use.

A team of lawyers based at Mills & Reeve's Manchester office, including corporate partner Chris Ross and real estate partner Caroline Hanratty, acted alongside a number of other law firms for GB Group in the successful financing for the project. The hotel, which will be developed and then owned as an investment by GB Group, will be operated under the Hilton brand.

Clifford Chance has advised Goldman Sachs International on the origination and securitisation of a €363,000,000 commercial real estate loan secured over a portfolio of shopping centres and retail parks in Italy.

The transaction represented the first Italian commercial mortgage backed securitisation since the financial crisis. The success of the transaction highlights the gradual re-emergence of the European CMBS market.

Clifford Chance advised BGP Investment S.à r.l. on a CMBS transaction relating to a residential portfolio. The CMBS issued by Irish special purpose vehicle Monnet Finance Limited are secured by a commercial mortgage loan granted to Borrowers of the BGP Investment group of companies. BGP Investment S.à r.l. is a Luxemburg private company which holds interests in portfolios of real estate assets through special purpose vehicles in Europe.

The total amount of CMBS issued was EUR 406 million with a maximum maturity until 2021.

Clifford Chance has advised Aareal Bank AG on the refinancing and capex financing of five Dutch hotels and three London hotels owned by PPHE Hotel Group Limited (the "Group''). The three London hotels owned by the Group are Park Plaza Riverbank, Park Plaza Victoria and Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes, the five Dutch hotels operated and owned by the Group are Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam, Park Plaza Vondelpark, Park Plaza Eindhoven, Park Plaza Amsterdam Airport and Park Plaza Utrecht.

DLA Piper represented US Bank and Goldman Sachs in connection with the private bank financing for the construction of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium involving total financing sources of approximately US$1 billion. The financing includes capital from a combination of public and private sources, equity and NFL financing in the form of a loan repaid from stadium revenues.