About - Arden Group

Firm

Arden Group is a privately held, vertically integrated middle market private commercial real estate fund manager and operator.

$7B+

Owned real estate

$12B+

Asset managed

$2.3B

Equity Raised

Founded in 1989 by current CEO, Craig Spencer, Arden has a seasoned executive team with over three decades of experience through multiple market cycles.
In-house expertise in acquisition, execution, development, financing, asset management, and dispositions enables us to manage the full life cycle of our investment with an operator versus allocator mindset.
Essential to executing our strategy in the industrial space, Arden Logistics Parks was established in 2021 as a best-in-class logistics real estate operating platform specializing in the acquisition, improvement, and property management of last mile infill industrial properties. The team operates a geographically diverse 10.5M square feet portfolio of last mile facilities in highly sought after urban infill locations.
Commitment to responsible investing, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Investment Focus

Arden Group’s investment focus is on high quality commercial real estate assets in top US MSA’s and dynamic growth markets:

Arden Real Estate Partners Funds (AREP) ,the flagship fund series, maintains a middle market value-add and thematic strategy exclusively targeting the following sectors:
- Last mile infill industrial with focus on multi-tenant and industrial service facilities (ISF) including outdoor storage (IOS)
- High quality hospitality
- Trophy office
Qualified Opportunity Zones:
- Partner with premier developers on high quality projects in the multi-family, student housing and life sciences sectors.
- Leading fund manager in the space (closed Arden Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund, L.P. in 2022 at $356M).
Credit: Leverages Arden’s equity underwriting expertise to provide debt financing solutions secured by middle market commercial real estate across ground-up construction, transitional, and stabilized assets.
RXR ARDEN Digital Ventures: Joint venture between RXR and Arden focused on real estate technology investments (PropTech).

History

Since founding Arden Group during the depths of the savings & loan crisis with the purchase of non-performing loans and real estate assets from the Resolution Trust Corp. and the FDIC, Chairman and CEO Craig A. Spencer has overseen the Firm’s growth over three decades into a vertically integrated investment and operating platform.

1989

Current Arden Group CEO,
Craig A. Spencer launches Arden Group

1990

Arden Group began serving as an asset manager for the FDIC, RTC and lending institutions, having managed in excess of $5 billion of CRE assets.

1995

Acquired Seven Penn Center, a 288,000 square foot office property in Philadelphia, PA.

2000

Opened the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, a $100M conversion of the former Mellon Bank Buildings into a 300 Key Luxury Hotel anchoring the Avenue of the Arts.

2001

Acquired The Savoy Hotel in Miami Beach, FL.
Acquired the 300,000 Square Foot Class A Brickell Bayview Center in Miami, FL.
Acquired the Omni Colonnade in Coral Gables, FL.

2003

Acquired the rights to Philadelphia Soul, a professional arena football club in the Arena Football League, with the inaugural game the following year.

2006

Craig Spencer, co–founded along with Jon Bon Jovi the JBJ Soul Foundation. The JBJ Soul Foundation’s mission is to break the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness through developing partnerships, creating programs and providing grant funding.

2009

Opened the $300M Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton Residences condo project (designed and constructed by Arden Group)

2012

Arden Real Estate Partners I, L.P. closes at $66M. This is Arden’s first discretionary fund and is targeted at value-add investments

2014

Arden Real Estate Partners II, L.P. closes at $181M

2016

Arden augments its equity business with a credit strategy that provides financing solutions for value-add real estate projects

2019

Arden Credit Fund, L.P. closes at $150M
Launch of Arden Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund, L.P.

2021

Arden Real Estate Partners III, L.P. closes at $500M
Arden Logistics Parks vertically integrated operating company is launched
Closed Multi-Tenant Industrial Recapitalization and Growth Equity Joint Venture with Arcapita ($800M)

2022

Arden Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund, L.P. Series I closes at $356M
Closed Industrial Storage Facility (ISF) Growth Equity Joint Venture with Wafra ($200M)
Launch of Prop Tech Joint Venture, RXR ARDEN Digital Ventures