PRIVATE EQUITY & HEDGE FUND OFFICE MARKET UPDATE LONDON
March 2012
OVERVIEW
We are seeing more start up hedge funds coming to the market for office space. It remains to be seen whether this is a seasonal spike post bonus season or a more sustained increase. The level of AUM for a start up is wide ranging from $100m up to $5bn and typically dictates whether the requirements are focused on new product from the landlord or plug and play options with shorter leases.
There continue to be a few high value deals in the market including Altima Partner’s, 6th floor space (8,869 sq ft) at 23 Savile Row, which is rumoured to be under offer to an unnamed hedge fund at £110 per sq ft.
Private Equity requirements are being driven by a combination of expansion and lease events with Carlyle Group and Bridge Point Capital in the market for 40-50,000 and 25,000 sq ft respectively.
Availability in Mayfair & St James’s plateaued during the final quarter. Availability is tight and by year end available space stood at 789,000 sq ft, which equates to a vacancy rate of 3.4%. Take-up in the final quarter was disappointing, with just 87,000 sq ft leased. This brings the annual volume to just less than 500,000 sq ft, below the five year average (570,000 sq ft). Hedge Funds leased 75,000 sq ft during the year in a total of 11 transactions. The Mayfair & St James’s submarket is driven by smaller requirements, with 70% of leasing activity for units less than 10,000 sq ft during the 2011. Hedge Funds are no exception, with an average transaction size of just over 6,700 sq ft during 2011.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
WEST END STATISTICAL Summary (Q4 2011 data)
Market Rolling 12 month take-up Take-up Y-o-Y % Change
Total Vacancy
Rate Supply Y-o-Y % Change Rent (psf) Prime % Change Y-o-Y
Q4 2011 HEDGE FUND AND FINANCIAL SERVICES LEASING ACTIVITY
Tenant Address SF Submarket
Carval Investors 25 Great Pulteney Street 5,288 Soho
Doyen Capital 12 Charles II Street 5,007 Mayfair & St James’s
Egerton Capital 5 Stratton Street 6,071 Mayfair & St James’s
Findlay Park Partners 28 King Street 8,700 Mayfair & St James’s
Freepoint Commodities 157-197 Buckingham Place Road 6,189 Victoria
Generation Investment Management 20 Air Street 21,326 Soho
Pimco Europe 11 Baker Street 63,409 North Of Oxford Street
Santander Bank 2 Portman Street 19,188 Mayfair & St James’s
NEW LEASE AVAILABILITIES
Address 19-21 Old Bond Street 103 Wigmore Street 52 Conduit Street
Mayfair North of Oxford Street Mayfair
W1 W1 W1
Available Floors 5th 9th 1st
Owner Ilife Property Duke Street Capital Starwood Capital
Floor 3,636 sq ft 7,000 sq ft 2,045 sq ft
Term New Lease Until Feb 2018 Until Feb 2016
Landlord New Lease Sublease Sublease
Comments Grade A fitted offices. Grade A fitted office suite. Grade A office suite.
NEW LEASE AVAILABILITIES
Address 23 Savile Row 6 Duke Street 33 Cavendish Square
Mayfair
W1 St James’s SW1 Mayfair W1
Available Floors 6th 2nd Part 16th
Owner Altima Partners Lord North Street Centaurus Capital
Floor 6th – (4,864 -8,869 sq ft) 4,590 sq ft 4,161 sq ft
Term Until June 2019 Thru June 2014 Until Feb 2016
Landlord Sublease Sublease Sublease
Comments New build offering high
quality Grade A floor plates. Under offer at £110 per sq ft
High quality fit out in place High quality fit out in place
MARKET TRENDS AND CONDITIONS
Rental Trends | Mayfair & St James’s Prime Rents• Mayfair & St James’s prime rents remained stable during the final quarter at £102.50 per sq ft.
• Prime rents increased by 8% year on year and will continue to come under pressure in the main due to a lack of supply.
• In the second half of 2011, there were 6 Hedge Fund transactions in Mayfair & St James’s, with an average achieved rent of approximately £85 per sq ft, up from £72 in the first half of the year.
MARKET TRENDS AND CONDITIONS
Financial Services Lettings In Terms Of Number of Transactions- Mayfair & St James’s 2011
• Despite the sovereign debt crisis and slow economic growth impacting on the performance of some of the biggest hedge funds in 2011, institutional investors remain committed to investing in hedge funds, with the size of the industry reportedly reaching pre-crisis 2006 levels.
• Hedge funds have responded to investor demands for better risk management, more transparency, greater liquidity and higher-quality operations and as a result the attractiveness of hedge funds as an investment option is increasing.
• Established private equity remains a focus for capital, as investors look to diversify into higher returns and to outperform the market.
• On average just under 200,000 sq ft per annum has been let to hedge funds and private equity firms over the last five years in Mayfair & St James’s. The submarket dominates activity- with almost two-thirds of hedge fund and private equity lettings over this period for space in Mayfair & St James’s.
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Financial Services 52% Hedge Funds 41% Private Equity 7%
