The deal takes advantage of the slump in the pound, which plunged after the country voted to leave the European Union in June 2016 and is currently trading roughly 12 percent lower against the dollar. "Devaluation of the pound sterling is one of the major factors to draw interests to this market," C C Land said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on May 1, confirming the $1.47 billion purchase from real estate giant British Land and Oxford Properties.
"Both leasing as well as investment demands in prime office buildings have remained strong," the firm said in the filing. Britain's economic growth has slowed to its weakest pace in a year, as the country prepares for a general election overshadowed by its planned exit from the European Union. But C C Land said London was still an attractive place for investors from around the world, particularly from the Asian region.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017