Dentons Warsaw advises on Polish mall deal

The Warsaw office of law firm Dentons is advising Australia-based Charter Hall Retail REIT on the sale of five Polish shopping centres.

The portfolio is being acquired by opportunity fund European Property Investors Special Opportunities 3 (EPISO 3) for €174.5 mln.

Denton's Warsaw real estate team is led by Pawe³ Dêbowski and supported notably by Maciej Jodkowski in the transaction.

EPISO3, which is managed by Tristan Capital Partners, will acquire four shopping centers in southwest Poland (Arena in Gliwice, Borek in Wroc³aw, D¹brówka in Katowice and Zakopianka in Cracow) and one in northwest Poland (Turzyn in Szczecin). The aggregate area of all assets in the portfolio is 65,054 m2.

The parties have signed preliminary agreements, and the transaction is scheduled to close in September 2013. The buyer, Tristan Capital Partners, is advised by law firm Allen & Overy.

This is the second largest acquisition by Tristan-managed funds in Poland since November, when it closed the €210 mln acquisition of the Warsaw Financial Center in a joint venture with Allianz. Advising the seller on that transaction was the Warsaw real estate team of Dentons (operating at that time as Salans) led by Pawe³ Dêbowski, supported notably by Maciej Jodkowski.