DUBAI (Reuters) - Alternative investments firm Arcapita Group Holdings has formed a joint venture with U.S real estate firm Arden Group to acquire industrial properties across the United States, the two companies said on Monday. “The new venture closed on an initial portfolio of properties valued at over $550 million, with an additional $250 million of properties closing in the near term,” Bahrain-based Arcapita and Arden said in a statement. “Plans are to grow the portfolio to up to $2 billion in gross asset value across the top 25 U.S. industrial markets,” the two companies said. Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by Toby Chopra Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.