Round Hill Capital celebrates 20th anniversary with £165m flagship BTR investment in Manchester with Olympian Homes

Round Hill Capital, is excited to announce a new partnership with experienced British developer, Olympian Homes, to deliver the first of many forward funded investments. Creating a brand new 488 unit flagship BTR asset in central Manchester, United Kingdom, the investment will mark Round Hill Capital’s 20th anniversary year, as the firm looks to strengthen partnerships and capitalise on growing investor appetite and consumer demand for quality BTR assets in major UK cities.

The joint venture with Olympian Homes, a specialist developer of large-scale Build to Rent and Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), will be forward funded on a fixed price development contract. It will serve as the gateway to the Portugal Street East masterplan regeneration area in the Northern Powerhouse city, which is benefitting from investment into the HS2 train service. Appealing to a wide demographic of young professionals, families and students, the development is conveniently located close to city centre amenities, and next to Piccadilly Station - the largest train station in the city offering excellent transport links.

Benefitting from Round Hill Capital’s 20 years of residential and PBSA success across Europe, the investment is set to continue to build momentum for the firm as a leading pan-European residential specialist.

Commenting on the acquisition, Michael Bickford, Founder and CEO of Round Hill Capital, said:
“This is a milestone investment for Round Hill Capital in our 20th anniversary year and draws on our success in the residential and PBSA markets across the continent to create innovative accommodation solutions. Addressing a major supply/demand imbalance in a thriving city with strong capital growth prospects, this flagship project in Manchester demonstrates our ability to identify intelligent investment opportunities and high performing sectors across Europe with valued partners.”

Tom France, Head of UK Investment at Round Hill Capital, added:
“We are excited to be announcing our BTR investment with Olympian Homes, an exemplary developer with outstanding track record, and together we will create a flagship asset in the UK. Our exceptional investment, development and property management expertise, authentic local perspective and deep market insights help us to identify strong regional UK cities such as Manchester, and will allow us to unlock further opportunities in the coming months and years.”

James Lindridge, Development Director at Olympian Homes commented:
“We are looking forward to working with Round Hill Capital on this new BTR development. We will utilise our skillset of acquiring land and developing efficiently, to institutional specifications, to ensure the successful delivery of this asset. We have built a strong relationship with Round Hill Capital whilst securing this deal and hope to continue to work alongside one another in the future. Manchester is a flourishing city with a great pipeline of opportunities, this new development will help manage the supply/demand imbalance in the area by providing residents with high quality accommodation in a city centre location complemented by excellent transport links."

Mark Slatter, Founder and Chairman at Olympian Homes:
“We are very pleased to have achieved this major milestone, being our first BTR scheme, we have benefitted from Round Hill Capital’s great deal of experience and understanding, they have proved to be excellent partners. We are also grateful to Manchester City Council, Transport for Great Manchester, HS2 and Aecom Capital for working closely with us to make this challenging project a reality.”

Construction on the scheme is due to start in August 2022 with completion targeted for Spring 2025.