Commercial real estate industry veterans Christopher Nolte and David Schreiber have launched AneVista Group—a private equity platform focused on innovative investment and operating strategies in the retail real estate sector. Based in Chicago, AneVista will develop and redevelop small-format, necessity-oriented shopping centers comprised of e-commerce-resistant retailers in last mile locations that address the disruptive trends reshaping consumer preferences and retailer operations.
Recognizing an advantaged entry point, AneVista is launching amidst a prolonged period of unprecedented transformation in the retail industry at a time when real estate investors are broadly reducing sector exposure and expecting significant distress and valuation declines resulting from this structural evolution. AneVista views this continued industry disruption as a unique opportunity to pursue a highly focused, value-oriented strategy that reimagines the future of last mile retail.
“We plan to organize our investments around the most durable retail segments and create value through strategic retailer partnerships, joint venture relationships, new site uses and innovative operating solutions that address the transformation occurring in omnichannel, logistics and fulfillment,” said Nolte, co-founder and managing partner of AneVista.
Benefitted by market tailwinds created from significant product availability, limited competition and distressed pricing, the firm will focus on specific retail segments that mitigate risks pervasive in large-format shopping centers and employ creative solutions that address retailer and consumer demand for innovation in real estate design and functionality.
“This was an ideal time to bring our unique experience and perspective to a sector that demands urgent innovation,” said Schreiber, co-founder and managing partner of AneVista. “As stewards of the built environment, the real estate industry has an obligation to maintain the relevance of shopping centers for the benefit of retailers, consumers and our communities. AneVista was born out of a passion for that responsibility and a focused vision for redefining the future of small format, last mile retail.”
Built on Nolte and Schreiber’s combined 40 years in commercial real estate, AneVista’s strategy promotes sustainable asset relevance to drive superior risk-adjusted investment returns. Their track record in private equity and related disciplines displays experience serving the investment objectives of institutional, family office and high-net-worth investors.
Nolte is a former family office president/CIO with a 20-year track record of buying, operating and growing retail and real estate operating companies. Prior to co-founding AneVista, he worked for the Marcus family, first at their public company, where he served as the director of real estate and an investment committee member, and later as the president of the family office, Marcus Investments. At Marcus Investments, Nolte founded Berengaria Development, a real estate development and investment firm focused on retail and senior living assets. When he was not guiding Berengaria, Nolte was capitalizing and running other family ventures, including the purchase and rebranding of a vertically integrated retail franchise, Verlo Mattress, and the operation of a restaurant company, Hospitality Democracy. Nolte holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from the College of William and Mary.
Schreiber is a seasoned real estate investment executive with a 20-year track record of leading more than $4 billion of acquisition and development activity across various property types, markets, risk profiles and transaction structures. Before co-founding AneVista, he was managing director and retail sector lead at LaSalle Investment Management where he managed retail and office investment across various markets. Consistently among LaSalle’s top producers during his tenure, Schreiber’s expertise included direct property acquisitions, development and forward commitments, as well as arranging joint ventures, side car investment, recapitalizations, entity-level purchases, loan assumptions and other heavily structured transactions. His prior experience included dispositions, financings, asset management, and fund structuring. Schreiber holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from Colgate University.
