Madrid portfolio of 2,200 beds by 2028 will anchor expansion across Europe
23 September 2026 – Vita Group and Colonial SFL announced today a joint venture to develop a premium urban living platform across Europe. The platform will initially target student and flex-living in prime locations across leading European cities, which are sectors underpinned by sustained long-term demand and a structural undersupply of high-quality, purpose-built accommodation.
Madrid will be the platform’s first city. The seed portfolio includes Vita Group’s two assets at the Oria Innovation Campus, alongside Colonial SFL’s Santa Hortensia 26–28. Together, these assets will form the initial portfolio, with approximately 2,200 student and flex-living beds and units expected to be operational by 2028.
The Vita Group – Colonial SFL investment joint venture combines Colonial SFL’s institutional real estate expertise and reach across major European cities with Vita Group’s specialist development and operating capabilities.
For Colonial SFL, the joint venture advances its strategy of selectively allocating capital to sectors with structural demand drivers and attractive long-term fundamentals. Colonial SFL is one of Europe’s leading prime real estate platforms, with a portfolio of more than one million square meters across Barcelona, Madrid and Paris.
Vita Student will operate the joint venture’s premium student living assets, bringing global sales and marketing reach and operating experience across more than 11,500 beds at 33 sites in 20 university cities. The platform will also draw on Vita Group’s broader expertise and brands across complementary urban living sectors.
Mark Stott, Chief Executive Officer, Vita Group, said: “Vita Group and Colonial SFL are building a significant premium European living platform, bringing together complementary strengths to scale proven living concepts across key European markets.
“Together, we combine Vita Group’s specialist development and operating capabilities and global sales and marketing platform with Colonial SFL’s institutional strength, European market expertise and reach.
“We see a substantial long-term opportunity across Europe’s capital cities and major university centres, where structural undersupply and changing expectations of urban living are driving demand for high-quality, professionally managed places.”
Pere Viñolas, Chief Executive Officer, Colonial SFL, added: “Through this joint venture, we are combining Colonial SFL’s expertise in repositioning prime urban assets with Vita Group’s specialist development expertise and Vita Student’s operating capabilities in student housing and flex living to unlock further value from Santa Hortensia, a prime example of urban transformation in Madrid.”
“The partnership strengthens the project’s commercial positioning and enhances its long-term operating potential. Built around a high-quality portfolio, the joint venture establishes a scalable premium platform in an asset class supported by structural supply scarcity, resilient demand and attractive long-term fundamentals. The transaction is fully aligned with our disciplined investment framework and focus on attractive risk-adjusted returns.”