Shopping Centre Out-Performance Opportunities Partnership
SCOOP
Guildhouse has launched the Shopping Centre Outperformance Opportunities Partnership (SCOOP) with Gemtree Limited to take advantage of strategic buying opportunities following major falls in asset values in the UK commercial property investment market.
The objective is to facilitate the purchase - at the bottom of the economic cycle and at significant discounts to values recorded in recent years - of carefully selected, quality UK shopping centres. /p>
The aim is to achieve higher than average income and capital returns on underperforming assets through careful stock selection together with the application of active and professional asset management utilising the broad range of integrated services within the Guildhouse Group.
The SCOOP Team
Led by Graham Cole, the SCOOP team has in-depth knowledge of how to optimise finance in order to drive superior returns from property assets, combined with an understanding of how management, renovation and development maximise financial viability and returns. The team comprises highly experienced individuals with backgrounds in all aspects of real estate finance, shopping centre investment, development and asset management. This includes:
- Structuring and arranging equity and debt finance across all property types
- Deal structuring and the assessment of risk
- Establishing property joint ventures and co-investment vehicles
- Development and asset management of complex mixed use developments and regeneration schemes
- Asset management of successful long term shopping centre funds
- Site assembly, planning, development agreement, CPO and pre-lettings of major UK shopping centres
- Management of overseas retail operations
Fremlin Walk Shopping Centre
In early summer 2009, at a pivotal point in the market, SCOOP formed a joint venture with Europa Capital to buy Land Securities' 350,000 sq ft Fremlin Walk shopping centre in Maidstone for £69m, reflecting an initial yield of 8.75% (debt provided by Deutsche PostBank). Fremlin Walk is a well let, high quality investment with 50 shops and 760 parking spaces, anchored by House of Fraser and featuring famous international fashion brands.
The SCOOP Challenge
Throughout their careers the SCOOP team have monitored developments in the retail sector over long periods of time throughout previous cycles of peaks and troughs. They are practised and proficient experts in judging the timing for capitalising upon business opportunities and are actively looking for further investments that offer similar exciting business prospects.