How Amancio Ortega built the largest real estate empire in the world with Zara dividends

Photo: QuintaTinta The founder of Zara today has a real estate portfolio valued at 25 billion dollars spread across more than 200 properties in 13 countries. He did not inherit it or build it with the textile business. He built it in parallel, brick by brick, with the dividends that Inditex has been delivering to him for a quarter of a century. Everything goes through Pontegadea, the investment vehicle that he created in 2001 and that today makes him, according to Forbes, the largest private real estate owner on the planet. This year it will receive 3,234 million just for that concept, a record figure. Location, location, location… and something else. Ortega only buys in very liquid markets, where it is easy to sell if necessary, iconic assets and with solvent long-term tenants. From 6,700 to 21,200 million in 10 years. The portfolio has tripled in a decade, with a presence in 13 markets. Its largest operation was seven logistics warehouses in the US for 905 million in 2022, with Amazon, Nestlé or FedEx as tenants. Beyond the brick. Pontegadea has diversified into renewables, telecommunications, parking and ports. An investor who almost never sells. Pontegadea buys, for the most part, without debt and rarely unwinds positions. The goal is not to multiply, but to protect a heritage that already exceeds 148,000 million dollars.©Photo: QuintatintaIf you want to know more, you can read here.