Carrefour sale
Bainbridge Properties, subsidiary of London-based Aerium Fund, has purchased Carrefour shopping centers in Bielawy in Toruń, Górna in Łód, Czyżyny in Kraków and Bemowo in Warsaw from Carrefour Polska. The value of the investment has not been revealed, however according to the investor the transaction reached a few hundred million euro.
Aerium Fund representatives have also confirmed the fund is aiming for further expansion on the Polish market, as the investor plans more transactions. "The Polish market has great potential and we are constantly looking for new investment opportunities," says Florent Murer, international exploitation and valorization director at Aerium Fund.
Management of the centers will be taken over by CEFIC, which belongs to Simon Ivanhoe. Up to now, the company has managed 1,000 lease agreements, collecting EUR 52 (zł.203) million annually in rent from 10 shopping centers across Poland. "We are very happy that another company is entrusting us with the management of its shopping-center portfolio," says Roman Skowroński, CEFIC portfolio director. "The contract is in line with our strategy concerning development of management services."
The fact that the owner of these shopping centers is changing does not signify that Carrefour will close its operations in them. Carrefour will stay in the centers as a long-term lessee, and funds gained from the sale of the shopping centers will be allocated for financing the company's investment plans.
Bainbridge Properties was founded in 2004 as a single-sector multi-country venture. The company holds a portfolio of hypermarkets and shopping centers leased to Carrefour, Tesco and Coop in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey.
