Schroder Property has announced plans to partner with Viveris REIM in the launch of the first ever European OPCI investment vehicle aimed at French institutional investors.

The partnership will offer French institutional investors the opportunity to invest in European real estate through the OPCI structure. 'Since the French real estate market is only 15% of the European market, the exposure to many other European countries will offer superior risk-adjusted returns than a domestic only portfolio,' the two partners said in a joint statement on Friday.

The partnership will offer the benefits of both the expertise of Viveris REIM, a leading player in the French OPCI real estate market, and the professional skills and Europe-wide presence of Schroder Property. The investment manager has over 90 people based in nine offices across Europe with more than EUR 10 bn of assets under management.

'This is another exciting development for our property business in Europe. We believe the combination of the OPCI and French expertise that Viveris REIM bring and the wider pan-European platform that Schroders has will be a great benefit to our clients,' added Neil Turner, global head of Fund Management at Schroder Property Investment Management.