Andrew Thornton, former Principal Real Estate Europe head, sets up new real estate venture

Real estate investment management veteran Andrew Thornton has formed Enterprise Land, a real estate investment company that will operate in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Enterprise Land is aiming to bring together and work with companies specializing in the four factors of production — enterprise, land, labor and capital — to offer compelling, differentiated, investment solutions.

Headquartered in London, Enterprise Land will initially focus on investment and development in the student accommodation, data center and logistics sectors, which are benefitting from tailwinds and offer mid-teen development returns. Thornton will recruit a team to work with him across Europe.

Thornton has extensive experience of building Pan-European portfolios and businesses. For 17 years before founding Enterprise, Land he was co-founder and CEO of Internos Global Investors, a European real estate investment manager that was sold in 2018 to Principal Financial Group, where he