AshbyCapital has sold its maiden investment, 200 Aldersgate in the City of London, to Samsung SRA Asset Management, for a figure believed to be in the region of £315m.
Having purchased the 434,000 sq ft multi-let office building located near Farringdon Station in 2013 for £225m, AshbyCapital put it up for sale last auntumn for £320m.
Under AshbyCapital’s ownership, the office has reached full occupancy and achieved rents of over £80/sq ft.
Recently signed retail and office tenants include Eat and Ford Motor Company, while amenities have been enhanced to include treatment rooms, Amazon lockers and electric car charging points. The building has also been awarded a Platinum WiredScore rating.
“We are extremely proud of our achievements at 200 Aldersgate, which is now home to a thriving and diverse business community and is renowned as one of the City’s market-leading multi-let buildings in a rapidly improving area. Samsung SRA has a strong track record as a strategic investor in London and we are confident the building will continue to deliver strong performance under its new owner.
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The deal marks a return to the UK market for the South Korean investor Samsung SRA, the real estate investment arm of Samsung Life Insurance, most well known in the UK for the purchase of 30 Gresham Street for £310m in 2013.
Young W. Chai, senior managing director at Samsung SRA, said: “Samsung SRA are delighted to re-enter the London City office market after disposing of 30 Crown Place in 2016. 200 Aldersgate, a landmark office building in the revitalizing Farringdon area, offers our Global Core Office Fund #2 investors a compelling opportunity to benefit from longer term growth prospects of London as a global gateway city. Savills IM and Samsung SRA will continue to support the building’s tenants, leveraging the relationships that AshbyCapital has established.”
Savills and CBRE acted for AshbyCapital; Savills Investment Management acted for Samsung SRA.