Private equity and credit investor AnaCap Financial Partners is acquiring 540,000sqft shopping centre in the UK for its opportunistic real estate strategy.

The purchase of St John’s Shopping Centre in Liverpool is being made in joint venture with UK retail asset manager RivingtonHark.

The asset is located between Liverpool’s two main train stations and the main bus station and is amid ongoing infrastructure construction works. It is 97% occupied with more than 100 tenants.

St John’s has been subject to renovations over the past decade, and AnaCap and RivingtonHark plan to invest more in the shopping centre.

Sebastien Wigdo, managing director at AnaCap, said: “This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity for AnaCap to invest in a prime and stabilised retail asset in the UK, demonstrating our ability to identify value in a sector which may have been previously overlooked.

“We were particularly attracted to the asset given its high quality location and strong tenant mix of both local and national retailers, a large number of whom have shown a long-term commitment to the location during COVID.”

Earlier this month, AnaCap entered a joint venture with Maya Capital to acquire and refurbish a £125m office and hotel asset in London.