REC staff

Grosvenor Fund Management has hired former Morgan Stanley capital raiser Dietrich Heidtmann as managing director of client services in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Heidt mann will be based in Paris, reporting to chief investment officer James Raynor. Grosvenor raised three new pools of capital last year. The largest was Grosvenor Retail Partnership, a […]

Fund has total €588m cash, with 75% committed in four developments AXA Real Estate Investment Managers raised a further €211m of equity at the final close of its third European development fund. After a €230m first close in 2010 followed by a second close early in 2011, the investment manager has raised a total €588m […]

Dutch insurance group ASR has attracted €380m in a first close for a Dutch retail fund seeded with the group’s assets. Advised by CBRE’s European placement team, ASR Real Estate Investment Management has brought in three European institutional investors as co-investors in an oversubscribed capital raise. The fund’s €1.1bn portfolio comprises supermarkets, shops and shopping […]

West End specialist Shaftesbury and the Mercers’ Company have refinanced their Covent Garden portfolio with £120m of long-term debt from Aviva Commercial Finance. The pair’s Longmartin Properties joint venture was set up in 2005 to redevelop 2 acres north of Long Acre. The St Martins Courtyard development of 23 shops, eight restaurants, 102,000 sq ft […]

JLL predicts occupiers will delay decisions in economy set to be“flat at best” in first half of year

Central London investment volumes edged up 10% to £10.9bn in 2011, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s figures. In total, £4.5bn was transacted in 139 deals in the West End and £6.3bn in 108 in the City and Docklands, driven by continued high demand from international investors. Clive Bull, head of central London investment, said: “In […]

The start of a new year is traditionally a time for crystal-balling the year ahead. Real Estate Capital and Barclays got together with four of the UK’s leading CEOs – David Atkins, Chris Grigg, Nick Leslau and Jamie Ritblat – to discuss what they think the big issues will be in 2012. From what they […]

Analysis To kick off the new year, Real Estate Capital and Barclays Real Estate hosted a round table with some of UK property’s leading investors. The discussion ranged across asset pricing, development risk, residential build-to-let, finance and buying debt. The verdict? There are opportunities out there but the panel remain cautious and recovery will be […]

PricewaterhouseCoopers reports for AREF on the ongoing fallout from 2008, writes Jane Roberts

Canadian investor has “significant war chest” ready for UK opportunities, writes Jane Roberts