Cromwell Funds Management Limited has sold the Icon building in Ipswich for $144.9 million, a record price paid for an office building in Queensland outside Brisbane.
Castlerock picked up the nine-storey building with 17,870sq m of commercial space after raising $90 million in seven weeks for its new The Auslink Property Trust No 2.
The A-grade tower at 117 Brisbane Street, in the Ipswich City Heart precinct, was built in 2013 and included 207 car parks, 120 bicycle stations and office winter gardens.
Cromwell made the decision to sell because of the $16.4-million premium to the previous book value of $128.5 million and that the trust had less than two years to maturity.
Cromwell head of retail funds management Hamish Wehl said unit-holders would receive a special distribution as a result of the transaction.
“It was a difficult decision to sell the property, however, with less than two years to go to maturity, we felt that money-in-the-hand was the right outcome for unit-holders,” Wehl said.
Castlerock director Adam Bronts said the capital raised showed the appeal of the new fund and the high level of demand for quality property assets.
“This capital raise was the largest in Castlerock’s 18-year history, so it was extremely gratifying to see such keen investment appetite for the fund,” Bronts said.
The Queensland government is Icon’s major tenant, accounting for more than 91 per cent of the net lettable area.
The sale is unconditional and is expected to settle on October 21, 2021. It was put in play through Colliers state chief executive Simon Beirne and Queensland director of investment services Sam Biggins.
“Castlerock’s acquisition is further evidence of syndicator capital moving up the price curve into larger office assets in key metropolitan markets in Queensland,” Biggins said.
“The Icon transaction represents the largest sale of an office building in Queensland outside Brisbane. Castlerock was attracted to the long-term growth prospects of the Ipswich region. which is Queensland’s fastest growing local government area.”
Article Source: www.theurbandeveloper.com
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