Brookfield Asset Management has announced that it will acquire industrial real estate investment trust Peakstone Realty Trust in a deal valued at about $1.2 billion, as the global asset manager looks to capitalise on rising demand for warehouses, industrial storage and AI-linked infrastructure.Under the agreement, Brookfield will acquire all outstanding shares of Peakstone for $21 per share in cash. The offer represents a premium of around 34 per cent to Peakstone’s closing share price last Friday. Following the announcement, Peakstone’s shares surged nearly 33 per cent in early trading.Brookfield said the acquisition would help expand its industrial real estate platform, particularly in the warehouse and industrial outdoor storage segment. The company has been steadily increasing its exposure to logistics and data-related infrastructure, driven by structural demand from e-commerce, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and approvals. Citigroup Global Markets is acting as financial advisor to Brookfield on the deal, while Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as its legal advisor.Brookfield’s management has repeatedly highlighted industrial real estate as a long-term growth theme. Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference in December, Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt said global demand for AI infrastructure was accelerating, as governments and large cloud service providers seek to warehouse and scale computing capacity. This trend is expected to drive sustained demand for specialised industrial and logistics assets.Peakstone Realty Trust owns and operates a portfolio of industrial properties focused on logistics, warehousing and outdoor storage across key US markets. Analysts believe the acquisition aligns with Brookfield’s strategy of acquiring scalable platforms that can benefit from long-term secular shifts in technology and supply chains.With the transaction, Brookfield is expected to further strengthen its footprint in the industrial real estate space, positioning itself to benefit from continued growth in AI-driven data infrastructure and logistics demand.News source: Reuters