Amancio Ortega buys Planeta's headquarters in Barcelona, ​​one of the most recognizable buildings on Diagonal, for 240 million euros.

Amancio Ortega has closed his largest real estate investment in a decade with the acquisition of the iconic Planeta building on Barcelona's Avenida Diagonal. According to sources close to the transaction, ABC has confirmed the deal to be worth approximately €250 million ; €40 million more than the investment giant Blackstone paid for it in 2018.

So, seven years ago, the Lara family - through their Hemisferio holding company - had to put the headquarters of their flagship company up for sale to settle a debt with Banco Sabadell , in a transaction that, moreover, had to be closed 'in extremis' to prevent the creditor from taking over the property for a price below market value.

As already mentioned, this is an emblematic building in the Barcelona skyline. Designed in 1976 by architects Josep Maria Fargas and Enric Tous —figures of contemporary Catalan architecture—to be the headquarters of the now-defunct Banca Catalana, it stands out for the octagonal shape of its four component parts and the vertical garden that covers the entire façade.

According to the Barcelona City Council website, 3.8 kilometers of planters cover the building, like a blanket. At the time of the inauguration, they were watered using a hydroponic system that "was a pioneer and deserving of recognition in the field of gardening and hydroponic cultivation worldwide," explains the Barcelona City Council.

When the Planeta group—owner of Atresmedia—decided to abandon its former headquarters on Córcega Street back in 2001 and move to the uptown area, the building was owned by BBVA. By the mid-1980s, following the financial scandal that would eventually become known as the 'Banca Catalana case,' the Basque bank had taken control of the company, eventually liquidating it.

The site is primarily known for housing the headquarters of the multinational publishing and media company —and also the Antena 3 branch in Barcelona—which will, in principle, remain there, although several companies coexist within its 27,000 m2.