The real estate arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has sold a 50% stake in two landmark London offices for roughly £200m (€239m).
Oxford Properties, which manages the Canadian pension fund’s real estate investments, sold the interest in the Paternoster Square offices to Madison International Realty.
King Edward Court, home to the London Stock Exchange, and St Martin’s Court, which is CBRE’s London head office, are both situated adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Madison International, which raised US$1.4bn (€1.34bn) for its latest fund this year, specialises in buying stakes in large real estate assets and portfolios.
Paul Brundage, executive vice president and senior managing director for Europe at Oxford Properties, said he hoped to develop the partnership with Madison “further across Europe and North America”.
Oxford Properties will continue to manage the two London buildings, taking its third-party assets under management in Europe to CAD1.8bn (€1.3bn).
Oxford Properties bought St Martin’s Court in October 2012 and King Edward Court in April 2013. As part of the ownership, it also manages the wider mixed-use Paternoster Square Estate.
Brundage said: “Oxford remains committed both to these investments and the relationships we have built with the London Stock Exchange and CBRE over the years.
“This transaction is in line with Oxford’s strategy to co-invest with strategic partners and lever our European platform to deliver enhanced returns.”
Ronald Dickerman, president and founder of Madison International, said the company had purchased more than £300m worth of real estate in London since the country’s referendum on its EU membership in June.
He said he had “every confidence in both the city’s continued position as a leading global financial centre and its enduring appeal as a destination for international businesses”.
