Real Estate M&A Motives : A Study of the Swedish Real Estate Market

Sammanfattning: In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy has been in a state of recovery. A far-reaching recovery could be observed in 2021, as economic activities, financial markets and industries showed positive growth throughout the year. The real estate sector in Sweden reached historically high volumes in the transactions market, with a heavy investor demand which also resulted in a record year for M&A. This master thesis aims to examine the motives behind M&A transactions in the Swedish sector, and the role of macroeconomic fundamentals and corporate key figures. The purpose of the study is to explore the M&A activity in the Swedish real estate market and what underlying conditions that may contribute to the rise of such transactions. Previous research within the field has primarily been focused on the occurrence, triggers and effects of M&A in general. This paper is limited to real estate M&A in the Swedish market, where no earlier studies have been found. The study combines a quantitative analysis and a qualitative research method, with the objective of uncovering motives of takeover companies, alongside a nuanced explanation of influencing variables. An initial collection of transactions data and key figures was executed to analyse the relations and developments.The thesis progressed with an empirical study through semi-structured interviews with takeover companies of recent M&A transactions. Results showed that low interest rates, an overall strong economy and stock market has stimulated the M&A activity. Further, the results of the qualitative study presented takeover motives comprising of synergy effects, financial advantages, and the interest to acquire attractive portfolios. It can be concluded that growth ambitions and lowered capital costs have influenced M&A as well, and the consolidation of assets has increased due to a high amount of listed small-sized companies, creating firm-matching opportunities.