Sector performance
In 2020, deal value in the global real estate sector decreased significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis significantly impacted retail, which was already in decline, and the hospitality space, which was devastated by travel restrictions. Offices also were affected adversely as the business community adopted work-from-home models.
M&A activity levels in the sector were particularly low in the United Kingdom and the United States, where the health crisis combined with the geopolitical instability of Brexit and the uncertainty preceding the U.S. elections. Asset classes driven by demographical and technological change, however, had a strong year, particularly in logistics and data centers as a result of the increase in online shopping and general need for increased server capacity.
Hogan Lovells activities
Our Real Estate industry sector hosted numerous webinars covering hot topics, key trends, and regulatory developments. Our teams also released a video series for the winter edition of our Hogan Lovells Real Estate Horizons.
We produced one of the first dedicated real estate resources created in response to the pandemic – an interactive map comparison of real estate COVID-19 topics across jurisdictions. We launched a new real estate transaction tool which helps to reduce administrative costs, enhance data privacy and security, and accelerate transactions in the real estate industry.