Meyer Bergman buys 50% stake in Bentall Centre

Meyer Bergman has acquired a 50% stake in The Bentall Centre, one of London’s most high profile shopping centres, from Aviva for around £130 mln (EUR 143.3 mln).

Meyer Bergman secured £82.6 mln (EUR 91 mln) financing for the acquisition from WestImmo Bank. The lender said funding was structured in an innovative way to ensure that the loan was eligible for pfandbrief, the German covered bond market, even though it covered 50%, rather than a 100% interest in the property.

Meyer Bergman intends to undertake numerous asset management initiatives in partnership with Aviva Investors Global Services Limited, which will allow it to create additional value at the site.

The Bentall Centre has been the central retail focus in Kingston since 1867. It has 580,000 sq ft of gross lettable area and is home to the Bentalls department store as well as a large number of exclusive retail brands such as Apple, Superdry, H&M, Zara and New Look.

Meyer Bergman is the investment platform founded by Markus Meijer and chaired by Ton Meijer, the former owner and founder of MAB Group, one of the Netherlands’ leading retail developers and investors.

Markus Meijer, Chief Executive of Meyer Bergman, commented: 'The acquisition of a half share in The Bentall Centre is a rare opportunity to acquire an interest in a prime retail asset based in one of the most affluent suburbs of London. The purchase so early in the year is a great way for us to start 2010, particularly as it is our first transaction in almost two years during which time there has been little stock available that matches our investment criteria.

The Bentall Centre offers the stability and income of a well established asset, as well as a number of interesting asset management opportunities which will allow us to create value and achieve our return profile requirements. We are looking forward to getting some of these initiatives underway as partners of Aviva Investors.'

'We believe that despite the increases in value seen in the last quarter of 2009 and early 2010, the UK retail market still offers good value, provided a disciplined approach to assessing acquisitions is taken and a proactive asset management strategy is subsequently put in place. However, we have also started to see a number of good opportunities arising in Continental Europe and believe this trend will continue throughout 2010. We are currently assessing a number of attractive investments and hope to be able to make further announcements in this respect in the near future.'