Helvetica: HSO goes public in February
The Helvetica Swiss Opportunity Fund has been opened to public investors. It is due to go public in a month's time and will be merged with its sister fund HSC by the middle of the year.
The amendments to the fund contract of the Helvetica Swiss Opportunity Fund (HSO Fund), which provide for an opening to public investors, have been approved by FINMA. The fund can now be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, Helvetica announces. The first day of trading is scheduled for February 11. "This step lays the foundation for the planned subsequent merger with the Helvetica Swiss Commercial Fund (HSC Fund) by mid-2025," the statement continues. An important prerequisite for the listing was the sale of a property in Pratteln (IB reported).
As at the end of 2024, the HSO Fund portfolio comprised eleven properties with a total market value of around CHF 196 million. According to the fund management company, rental income is secured for an average of 4.7 years and the vacancy rate at the end of the year was 1 %. On this basis, a distribution at the previous year's level of CHF 5.50 per unit is expected for the 2024 financial year. "The HSO Fund portfolio is seen as a strategically appropriate and profitable addition to the HSC Fund," says Urs Kunz, Chief Commercial Officer of Helvetica. The merger is still expected to be completed within the communicated timeframe by mid-2025. The measure will create a purely commercial fund with a broadly diversified portfolio of an expected 37 properties with a total value of around CHF 760 million. (aw)
