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Holland & Knight and Mexican firm Sarur Servicios Integrales were advisers to Mexican real-estate investment trust Fibra Uno on a complex $841 million industrial property purchase, while Mexican firm Ritch, Mueller, Heather y Nicolau represented the sellers.

Industrial property has been in heavy demand in Mexico despite delays in the signing of a new North American free trade agreement and despite the country's flagging economic growth. Industrial space has become scarce in key locations such as Tijuana, just south of San Diego.

"This transaction may have been the largest industrial portfolio sale in Latin America and involved very high-end negotiations and a lot of resources from all the participants, considering the complexity, size and timing required by the parties and the number of properties involved," said Javier Domínguez, a partner who specialises in mergers and acquisitions and real estate at Ritch Mueller and who advised the sellers.

The Mexican properties, called the 'Titan Portfolio', are comprised of approximately 1.26 million square meters (13.5 million square feet) of leasable area and a land bank of one million square meters. The average lease term is four and a half years, with most of the revenue paid in U.S. dollars for an attractive currency hedge against a possible depreciation of the Mexican peso.

Fibra Uno, the largest and most diversified real estate company in Latin America with 559 commercial, industrial and office properties – including iconic skyscrapers in the Mexican capital – beat 16 other proposals in a bidding process for the 74 industrial buildings distributed across 10 cities in nine Mexican states. Developer Finsa and private equity firm Walton Street Capital opted to divest because the finance vehicle they had used to acquire the properties had reached its required holding period, according to lawyers who represented the sellers.

That vehicle, a CKD, is the Mexican equivalent of a special purpose acquisition company.

Also, the Titan Portfolio had reached its stabilisation level with grade-A tenants, so the valuation was favourable for a sale, said Rodrigo Conesa, a partner who also specialises in M&A and real estate at Ritch Mueller and who advised the sellers.

Sergio Argüelles, CEO of Finsa, said his firm hopes to tap additional CKDs for further investment in Mexican industrial property. The Mexican economy is highly dependent on manufacturing, which accounts for nearly a fifth of gross domestic product. Some of that manufacturing is for the country's 120 million inhabitants, but much is destined for export.

Argüelles called the Titan transaction "good news for Mexico and proof of confidence" in the country from investors.

The properties are leased to more than 100 different tenants, from sectors that include automotive, logistics, food and beverage, electronics, metal mechanics and medical. They are located in manufacturing hubs such as Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, where General Motors assembles vehicles like the Chevrolet Cruze.

Raúl Sánchez Rucobo, managing partner at Sarur, oversaw the design, structure and planning for Fibra Uno to list on the Mexican Stock Exchange in 2011. Sarur also weighed in as co-counsel to Fibra Uno on the purchase of the Titan Portfolio, alongside a team led by Holland & Knight partner Guillermo Uribe. Holland & Knight team members have advised Fibra Uno on all of its financing transactions since 2011.

The deal with Finsa was finalised on November 20.