Name of company
W. P. Carey Inc.
Name of President or Managing Director for the region
Christopher Mertlitz, Managing Director, Head of European Investments
Profile of President or Managing Director for the region
Chris Mertlitz joined W. P. Carey's European Investments Team in 2011 and was appointed Managing Director and Head of European Investments in 2021. Chris oversees WPC's European investment activity including the sourcing, underwriting, negotiating and structuring of all European transactions.
Description of company and team
W. P. Carey (NYSE: WPC) is one of the largest net lease REITs, specializing in the acquisition of operationally critical, single tenant properties in North America and Europe. The business’ diversified portfolio comprises 1,600 properties with 178 million square feet of corporate real estate across North America and Europe. In Europe, W. P. Carey made its first investment in 1998 and now has more than 650 properties amounting to over €8 billion in investments.
Office projects included in the portfolio
The value of office properties held by investor
Retail projects included in the portfolio
2024 – approx EUR 30m sale-leaseback of a convenience store portfolio in Poland
2021 – approx EUR 72m deal of 7 DIY facilities in Poland leased to OBI. After the investment, WPC owns a total of 26 OBI facilities in Poland.
2017 – EUR 186m deal of 18 retail assets in Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia.
The value of retail properties held by investor
550
Warehouse projects included in the portfolio
2021 - completed the EUR 29m sale-leaseback of 4 manufacturing facilities. The portfolio comprises one asset in the Czech Republic and 3 in Germany. All are triple-net leased to a metal engineering firm for 20 years
2019 – WPC completed a EUR 14m build-to-suit of an industrial facility in Poland.
The value of warehouse properties held by investor
680
PRS projects included in the portfolio
The value of PRS properties held by investor
The largest purchase transactions within the timeframe specified by the organizer
In 2025, W. P. Carey completed the €82 million sale-leaseback of 6 mission-critical food production facilities, including two in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia.
The portfolio spans approximately 1.2 million square feet (approx. 111,500 square metres) and is triple-net leased for 25 years to a leading international food production and distribution business with a portfolio of over 85 brands.
Future plans
WPC remains geography agnostic yet sees opportunities in the region. While the diversified strategy encompasses various property types, this allows the firm to allocate capital towards the best risk-adjusted returns. The mix of econ growth & infra development make the region increasingly attractive.
