Arete

An independent and entrepreneurial asset manager providing investment expertise to clients for over 10 years

Since our inception in 2014, ARETE has established itself as a leading regional asset manager. Arete Group was founded by Robert Ides and Lubor Svoboda, who, with their vast knowledge, began successfully navigating through the market cycles while managing core plus and value-add real estate. To this day, we have overlooked over €435 million in assets and focused on helping investors access alternative opportunities within the real assets sectors. The opening line of managed accounts will provide an additional layer of custom-based strategy execution leveraging on a decade of experience and utilizing proven approaches.

timeline

2014

Lubor Svoboda and Robert Ides founded Arete Group in 2014. With their deep expertise, and as a pioneer in the region, the company launches its first investment product, ARETE INVEST Sub-fund CEE.

2015

The first year of investing. ARETE builds a single strategy alternatives portfolio and acquires its first residential project for the ARETE INVEST Sub-fund CEE with a size of about 300 flats & 18,000 sqm rentable area.

2016

ARETE expands its alternative investment offering by launching its second investment strategy, the ARETE INVEST Sub-fund CEE II, focused on the industrial real estate asset class. ARETE Group is one of the first investment companies in the Czech Republic to operate under a SICAV fund structure and the first to secure bank financing from Raiffeisen Bank in the country under the structure. Consequently, the Group was the first under the SICAV fund structure to obtain bank financing from UniCredit Bank Group. The company receives the Alternative Investment Management Association membership in London, www.aima.org

2017

Leveraging our expertise in the private real estate market, we are embarking on regional expansion by investing in the acquisition of industrial facilities in Slovakia. The ARETE INVEST CEE fund was successfully closed and redeemed as the first fund under the SICAV structure. Following the conclusion of the investment cycle, the fund was removed from the Czech National Bank’s database, and its residential portfolio was sold, resulting in an impressive capital appreciation of 39% per annum for investors.

2018

ARETE keeps acquiring its logistic properties across the Czech Republic and Slovakia completing a sizable development project of a new logistic hall for Factcool Group. ARETE has developed a strong track record and expertise in the logistics andindustrial property type, acquiring an associate membership in the Czech Capital Market Association, AKAT.

2019

The portfolio development of ARETE INVEST Sub-fund CEE II is coming to its final stage while the Fund becomes the best-performing real estate fund in the Czech market.

2020

We are launching our ARETE INDUSTRIAL SICAV a.s. fund, our third investment product, which will invest in a portfolio of high-quality industrial parks across the main hubs in the CEE region, with an expected fund size of approximately €400 M.

2021

The company successfully sold all its holdings in ARETE INVEST Sub-fund CEE II in a single sale to Cromwell European Real Estate for €116 million. This was notably one of the most significant and successful transactions during the period and in the CEE region. The real estate-focused fund achieved an average gross return of 11% per annum. Clients who invested in the first share issue received a gross return on their capital exceeding 20% per annum.

2022

The strong acquisition pipeline of ARETE INDUSTRIAL FUND makes its presence and the company keeps adding more industrial properties to its portfolio. The construction and development projects are gaining momentum.

2023

We formalize our support for sustainability-related principles and commit to categorizing all our funds as “light green” products following Article 8 of SFDR. Our commitment to responsible investing and sustainability is demonstrated through our pursuit of BREEAM certification for our portfolio of logistics and industrial assets.

2024

We are celebrating our 10th year of providing alternative investment solutions to our clients. ARETE is entering the Polish real estate market with the acquisition of Zgorzelec Industrial Park and is launching a complementary energy infrastructure strategy focused on transition assets, renewable power, and flexible generation.

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    Hall 1

    • Grid system: 12 x 24 m 
    • Clear height: 11,5 m 
    • Building structurre: reinforced concrete prefabrocated skeleton 
    • Fire safety: EPS, SHZ and next 
    • Floor load capacity: 5 t/m2 
    • Lighting: LED

    Hall 1

    • Clear height: 9,1 m
    • Building structurre: combined skeleton - reinforced concrete columns, steel beam
    • Air condition in offices: Yes
    • Floor load capacity (per sqm): 5t
    • Lighting: LED

    Hall 2

    • Grid system: 12 x 24 m 
    • Clear height: 11,5 
    • Building structurre: reinforced concrete prefabrocated skeleton 
    • Air condition in offices: Yes 
    • Floor load capacity (per sqm): 5t 
    • Lighting: LED

    Hall 3

    • Grid system: 12 x 24 m 
    • Clear height: 11,5 
    • Building structurre: reinforced concrete prefabrocated skeleton 
    • Air condition in offices: Yes F
    • loor load capacity (per sqm): 5t 
    • Lighting: LED

    Hall 1

    • Grid system: 12 x 24 m 
    • Clear height: 11,5 m 
    • Building structurre: reinforced concrete prefabrocated skeleton 
    • Fire safety: EPS, SHZ (ESFR), ZOKT and next 
    • Floor load capacity: 5 t/m2 
    • Lighting: LED 
    • Facade: mineral wool, U = 0,24 W/m2K 
    • Roof: mineral wool, U = min. 0,28 W/m2K 
    • Heating in offices: min. +20° C 
    • Air condition: as standard in offices

    Hall 2

    • Grid system: 12 x 24 m 
    • Clear height: 11,5 m 
    • Building structurre: reinforced concrete prefabrocated skeleton 
    • Fire safety: EPS, SHZ (ESFR), ZOKT and next 
    • Floor load capacity: 5 t/m2 Lighting: LED 
    • Facade: mineral wool, U = 0,24 W/m2K 
    • Roof: mineral wool, U = min. 0,28 W/m2K 
    • Heating in offices: min. +20° C 
    • Air condition: as standard in offices

    Hall 1

    • Skylights: yes 
    • Docks: no 
    • Drive in: 3 
    • Sprinkler: n/a 
    • Lighting: LED 
    • Clear height: 8 m 
    • Camera system: yes 
    • Facade: mineral panels 
    • Parking: 172

    Hall 1

    • Skylights: yes 
    • Docks: 2 
    • Drives in: 2 
    • Sprinklers: no 
    • Lighting: LED 
    • Clear height: 9 m 
    • Camera system: yes 
    • Facade: Mineral panels

    Robert Ides

    The co-founder and managing partner of ARETE oversees the group’s strategy, the development of real estate projects, and business activities in the energy sector.

    Robert has more than 20 years of advisory experience. Prior to founding ARETE, he held several leadership positions focusing on complex international mergers, acquisitions, and strategic projects. He served in executive roles at AIG and Zurich Insurance Group, most recently as the Global Claims Business Architect in the General Insurance business division.

    Lubor Svoboda

    Lubor has 25 years of experience leading real estate and private equity companies as a CEO, managing successful business transactions and legal restructurings in financial and highly regulated environments. Over the past ten years, Lubor has focused on fund management and strategic planning. He holds a Master’s degree in Law from Masaryk University in Brno and an MBA from the Prague International Business School.

    Martin Konecny

    Serves as the company’s CFO, bringing a robust background in finance and economics, with extensive international experience. At ARETE, Martin is responsible for reporting and controlling on corporate and fund level for all entities in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.

    Martin has over 30 years of experience, and a proven track record in corporate finance, operations, M&A, and portfolio management. Before joining ARETE, Martin served as a Group Head of Risks and Operations at P3 Logistics Parks, a logistics real estate investment manager with more than 3 billion AuM. His career includes 4 years as Country CFO at Citi Czech Republic and 15 years at KPMG, overseeing audits and compliance investigations.

    Martin holds a Master’s degree in Economics, Finance and Trade from the Prague University of Economics and Business as well as an Executive MBA from the University of Bristol.

    Martin Pacovsky

    Is the Chief Investment Officer at ARETE for our energy infrastructure strategy, with extensive experience in managing and developing energy assets, focused on advancing carbon-neutral strategies. With a strong track record in strategic planning and international market expansion, Martin has successfully led organizations through complex M&A processes, including guiding Pražská Plynárenská a.s. through the 2022 energy crisis as Chairman of the Board. His expertise encompasses risk management and stakeholder engagement.

    Previously, Martin held senior roles at ČEZ Group, where he contributed significantly to renewable energy projects and international growth, such as overseeing the construction of Romania's largest onshore wind farm.

    Martin holds an MSc from the University of Economics in Prague and an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

    Miroslav Barnas

    is the Chief Investment Officer at ARETE for our real estate strategy. He set up the investment management team and oversees deal sourcing, investment management and execution for the ARETE INDUSTRIAL FUND.

    With over 20 years of professional track record in commercial and residential real estate, Miroslav is a seasoned executive with experience in advising corporate clients and private individuals on investment, valuation, leasing, negotiations, construction, and facility management of commercial properties in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Miroslav has led major transactions exceeding €1 billion. His leadership roles include CEO and Head of Capital Markets at Jones Lang LaSalle.

    Miroslav is an MRICS professional and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Economics in Bratislava.

    Jiri Krol

    A supervisory board member, with over 20 years of experience in managing international financial institutions.

    Alica Koblovska

    Serves as the Chief Legal Officer at ARETE, bringing over a decade of extensive legal expertise in corporate finance, M&A, and compliance. She oversees the entire legal agenda of ARETE and acts as a key strategic advisor, overseeing compliance for our complex fund structures.

    Alica has held significant legal roles, including the position of General Counsel at Bakala Capital, where she managed legal affairs for Zdenek Bakala, a leading family office. Before this, she worked as a layer with Kocian Solc Balastik in Prague.

    Alica holds a Master’s degree in Law from Masaryk University in Brno with international exposure at Paul Cezanne University.