Landsec acquires 92% stake in Liverpool ONE shopping centre
Landsec has acquired a 92% stake in Liverpool ONE shopping centre for an overall consideration of £490m.
The stake has been acquired from a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Grosvenor, which held 69% and 23% of the Liverpool scheme respectively. Of the total consideration, a payment of £35m to ADIA has been deferred for two years.
Landsec said the acquisition is in line with its objective to grow its investment in major retail destinations, and will recycle the £464m proceeds made from non-core sales earlier in the year. The real estate investment trust said it will now own and manage seven of the top-30 shopping centres in the UK.
Liverpool ONE opened in 2008 and is one of the most modern major retail destinations in the UK and offers a mix of retail, food and beverage, and leisure brands that attract a footfall of 22 million people per year. The scheme has seen retail sales increase by 5% over the past twelve months, with new leases signed at 10% above estimated rental value, relettings and renewals 5% above previous passing rent, and an overall occupancy rate of 96%.
As part of the transaction, Landsec will also assume the management of Liverpool ONE from Grosvenor in February 2025.
Mark Allan, chief executive officer at Landsec, said: “The top 1% of the UK’s shopping destinations provide brands with access to 30% of all in-store retail spend, which is why we continue to see brands focus on fewer, but bigger and better stores in the best locations. As such I am delighted that we have added another top-ten centre with a highly attractive return profile – meaning our unique portfolio now includes seven of the top 30 centres in the UK. Liverpool ONE already has a great line-up of brands in a thriving location and we look forward to building on this with our leading operating platform to further add to its exciting growth story.”
James Raynor, CEO of Grosvenor Property UK, added: “Liverpool ONE is a phenomenal destination and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished with and for the City over the last 25 years. It’s not only one of the most remarkable regeneration stories, re-defining what long-term investment and partnership can achieve, it continues to be one of the UK’s most successful retail and leisure destinations. And, under the unified ownership and management of Landsec, we know it will continue to thrive.
“Looking ahead, we have ambitious plans to grow and diversify the business and we will reinvest the proceeds from the sale in our core portfolio including our 10-year programme of investment in London and residential debt business, which has supported the delivery of 3,370 homes in just 2 years.”
In November, Landsec said it was “confident” in deploying further capital into the retail sector, stating that it saw the “most-attractive” returns in retail.