Épopée Gestion, a regional investment company founded by Charles Cabillic and Ronan Le Moal, announces the launch of a 30 million euro Sustainability Linked-Loan for its Épopée Immo Rendement I vehicle. This operation, indexes the financing terms of the fund’s real estate assets to a trajectory improvement in ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria, has brought together leading regional banking players. For Épopée Gestion, this new financial resource represents additional leverage in the implementation of its ESG strategy, which aims to have a positive impact on local communities through job creation.
On behalf of its OPPCI Épopée Immo rendement I, Épopée Gestion has signed an open line of financing 30 million euros with a 7-year maturity, intended to finance office, logistics and retail assets in the French regions. This transaction was structured and arranged by Helia Conseil (Sophie Bogard) around a banking pool, sharing the management company’s territorial values, made up of Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels (Armony Romera), Caisse d’Épargne et de Prévoyance Bretagne – Pays de Loire (Vincent Spano) and Caisse d’Épargne et de Prévoyance Normandie (Nicolas Charles). Helia Conseil also acted as ESG agent (Delphine Guignard).
This financing enables partner banks to be associated with the ESG approach of the Épopée Immo Rendement I fund, which obtained the SRI Label in December 2022. The loan is in fact an impact financing (Sustainability Linked-Loan) with a remuneration indexed on four ESG criteria defined and audited annually. These criteria, already included in Épopée Gestion’s real estate SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) grid, directly reflect the fund’s social and environmental challenges, and structured around the following objectives:
- Invest in communities or regions benefiting from a public policy program, as identified by the “Observatoire des Territoires”;
- Measuring and maximizing the number direct jobs accommodated, reflecting management company’s primary objective of contributing to the economic dynamism of the French regions through real estate infrastructure in areas in need of revitalization;
- Reduce the energy consumption of the building stock;
- Set up green committees to raise tenant awareness of ESG real estate issues and help implement best practices across the portfolio.
Arnaud Lehuédé, Real Estate Partner at Épopée Gestion, comments: “The setting up of our first impact marks an essential stage in the development of our fund, by bringing together leading regional banking players around the investment thesis of our Épopée Immo Rendement I vehicle. This operation will enable us further accelerate the deployment of our ESG strategy in the responsible real estate sector. For us, this is an essential lever for regional development and sustainable job creation.”
Christophe Jaglin, President of Hélia Conseil, comments: “As a subsidiary of the Caisse d’Epargne et de Prévoyance Bretagne Pays de Loire, the entire Hélia Conseil team is delighted to have been involved in the financing of Épopée Immo Rendement I from the outset. Épopée Gestion and I share a particular interest in projects that promote the development of our region and its stakeholders, and that emphasize environmental, governance and social responsibility.”
Épopée Gestion was advised in this transaction by Antonia Raccat and Catherine Mintegui, respectively Partner and Senior Lawyer at August Debouzy, and by Pierre Thubert, notary partner at Quid Novi Brest. For its part, Hélia Conseil was supported by Matthieu Guignard, Partner at the CVS law firm, and Eric Bailleul, Associate Notary at Thibierge Notaires. EthiFinance’s Sustainable Financing department acted as ESG advisor.