Multinational oil and gas giant Shell has pulled the sell-off of the real estate assets in its contributory pension fund, valued at up to £600 million, CoStar News understands.
It is understood that Shell has decided to run the sell-off, which was being overseen via a number of different portfolio sales with different advisers, again in the New Year in smaller lot sizes.
The fund's property assets were valued at £568.8 million as of 31 December 2021, up from £519.4 million a year earlier, according to the latest filings.
Of that total £478.9 million was UK freehold property, £81.5 million was long leasehold property with over 50 years unexpired and £1.6 million was short leasehold property. Net rents from properties totalled £23.7 million in 2021, up from £20.5 million in 2020.
A spokesperson for CBRE IM, which manages the direct property portfolio, declined to comment.
A number of advisers had been appointed to sell off the fund's assets in different processes.
Investors were particularly focused on two principally industrial portfolios. The London industrial portfolio is called Pearl and CBRE and Knight Frank have been running a sale of these assets seeking around £175 million.
The "Opal" regional portfolio sale incorporates 12 assets in locations such as Trafford Park, Birmingham, Oxford and Reading. The guide price is £130 million.
Separately JLL and Jackson Criss are selling the Argon Portfolio, which includes 17 retail and leisure assets located across the UK. CoStar News reported on that sale with a guide price of £68 million, representing a net initial yield of 8.6%, in October.
Montagu Evans is understood to be acting on several retail warehousing sales, with other agents acting on individual trades.
The fund’s 10 largest property assets, which represent 45.9% of the fund’s direct exposure to real estate and were valued at £258 million as of December 2021, are:
- Croydon, Silver Wing, valued at £35.9 million
- Milton Keynes, Central retail park, valued at £31.5 million
- London, 6 Kean Street, valued at £29.7 million
- Leamington Spa, Titan and Trojan Business park, valued at £26 million
- Chelmsford, Dukes Park, valued at £25.1 million
- Watford, Valley Park, valued at £25 million
- Doncaster North Services, valued at £23.8 million
- West Thurrock, IO Centre, valued at £21.1 million
- Aberdeen Wellshead Industrial Estate, valued at £20 million
- Crayside Industrial Estate, valued at £19.9 million