Avison Young drives investment returns for clients across property sectors in 2020

Portfolio performance outperforms country indexes across the board; firm positioned in the top quartile globally

Toronto, ON – Avison Young’s Investment Management group delivered strong returns for clients in 2020, landing among the top 20 managers globally according to an analysis by MSCI Enterprise Analytics, a leading provider of decision support tools and services for the global investment community. The firm outperformed its benchmark, the Canadian IPD Index, by 1210 basis points. 

“We delivered solid income and above average growth for our institutional clients through a smart asset strategy across geographies and sectors, steering clear of malls, hotels and some major metros like San Francisco, New York and Calgary, which saw performance declines as a result of the pandemic,” said Amy Erixon, Avison Young Principal and President of Global Investment Management. “Slightly more than half of our assets are in Germany and the country generally outperformed North American locations due to greater business certainty and better targeted government support programs. Asset selection also played a role, as one hundred percent of our asset locations outperformed their corresponding country index.“

Avison Young’s Investment Management group achieved solid performance across the portfolio despite retail assets being under severe pressure as a result of the pandemic. With a portfolio mix that favored industrial and residential, and solid exposure to the outperforming life sciences sector, one hundred percent of the assets in Avison Young’s portfolio outperformed their peer group by an average of more than 200 basis points. Industrial assets alone were up 10.9 percent over the calendar year ending December 2020.

Avison Young’s Investment Management group provides strategic counsel and oversight of multi-national portfolios on behalf of institutional clients. The team is focused on developing and proactively managing diverse portfolios comprised of various asset types to create stable income and above average growth. It does so with an eye to providing outstanding risk adjusted returns for investors, while also addressing resiliency and sustainability in accordance with its environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments.