April 23rd, 2024 - London - The Dot Group (“Dot” or the “Group”), the global leader in student living, is pleased to announce the closing of its acquisition of the CRM Students Ltd group of companies (“CRM Students”) from CORESTATE Capital Holdings S.A.
CRM Students, and its subsidiaries in the UK and Europe, will become a part of the broader Dot Group, operating as a white-label solution alongside Yugo, the global student branded operator. The acquisition extends Dot’s global footprint into four new European markets of Austria, Italy, Poland and Portugal, embeds continued growth in Germany and Spain, while significantly expanding its UK presence. This brings the Group’s global portfolio to 80,000 beds including secured pipeline, making it the largest student housing operator in Europe.
This is an accretive and strategically important transaction for the Group. Acquiring CRM Students unlocks strategic value and signals the company’s commitment to its global growth strategy through expanding its offering and diversifying its long-term revenue streams across the student economy.
The transaction also represents strong cultural alignment with third-party management, providing the Group with access to new partnerships and opportunities to scale across Europe while leveraging Yugo’s operational expertise and Dot’s strong track record and leadership.
CRM Students is a market leading third-party student operator with a comprehensive portfolio of bespoke management services with over 100 properties, covering 27,000 beds in seven countries. CRM Students has grown organically through the high-quality operational management of third-party accommodation since 2003.
Nicholas Porter, CEO of The Dot Group, said:
“Our strategic focus is to create the world’s leading branded operating company in student living. We are delighted to welcome CRM Students to the Group and with our global platform Yugo. The transaction supports our strategic expansion into existing and key new markets, allowing us to embed our expertise across Europe to deliver performance and efficiency for investors in the student housing sector.
We continue to invest in more opportunities, technology and, most importantly, our teams around the world. We are forging new relationships and look forward to providing an enhanced offering to key stakeholders, investors, banks, universities and vitally student customers through their educational journey.”
Richard Skeels, CEO of CRM Students, said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for CRM Students, as we look forward to joining The Dot Group, a truly global pioneer across student living. On closing this transaction, it is clear our teams are strategically aligned with our customers and stakeholders benefiting from greater access and experience as CRM Students continues its growth journey.”
