(This story has been updated to include the vendor.)
Luxury designer shoes group Manolo Blahnik has bought 31 Old Burlington Street in London's prime Mayfair district for £35 million.
According to Land Registry records, the company has bought the freehold from Hong Kong incorporated company Pan America Asia Group.
The vacant building is a Grade I-listed early Georgian townhouse over six floors. It it thought that Manolo Blahnik has bought the building, which is between the luxury retail destinations of New Bond Street and Savile Row, for its own occupation.
Originally built in 1718, 31 Old Burlington Street is a Grade I-listed self-contained headquarters building comprising 9,452 square feet of offices with an ancillary residential apartment, arranged over lower ground, ground and five upper floors. It has been recently refurbished and has the potential for redevelopment as multi-functional uses such as gallery, conference, and event space.
CBRE and Knight Frank advised Pan America Asia Group.
Manolo Blahnik International was established in 1970 when the first boutique was opened in London's Chelsea in Old Church Street. Its headquarters remain in London with offices and partners around the world.
A privately owned and family run company, Manolo Blahnik still heads the brand as creative director and chairman. He worked with his sister Evangelina Blahnik as managing director from 1981 until his niece Kristina Hulsebus Blahnik took over as CEO in 2013.
The brand has more than 300 points of sale including 20 boutiques across the globe in countries including New York City, Hong Kong and Paris. The company has also focused in Asia, in partnership with the Bluebell Group, on expanding in Japan, Malaysia and most recently a brand-new flagship store in the heart of Singapore.
The shoes were frequently mentioned in New York City-set television programme Sex and the City.
There has been a strong recent improvement in West End offices investment with a number of assets selling or going under offer at improved yields.