January 12, 2015
BulletinNews Release
Contact:
Campbell Hood
Tel: +44 78 6091 1622
campbell.hood@columbiathreadneedle.com

Redwood Consulting
Tel: 020 7828 5553
sophie@redwoodconsulting.co.uk / kate@redwoodconsulting.co.uk

Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate adds a further
315,000 sq ft of retail parks to portfolio-

Acquisitions in Corby and Merry Hill reinforce investor confidence in retail warehousing sector -LONDON – 16 May 2024 - Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate, the real estate investment and asset
management specialist of Columbia Threadneedle Investments, has acquired Phase 2 and 3 of Merry Hill
Retail Park in Brierley Hill and Phoenix Retail Park in Corby on behalf of separate client funds for undisclosed
sums. These recent acquisitions follow the purchase of Parkgate Shopping Park in Yorkshire earlier this year
and reinforce Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate’s position as one of the largest retail park owners in the UK.
Phases 2 and 3 of Merry Hill Retail Park comprise a combined circa 197,000 square feet of retail warehouseand restaurant space on a site that extends to almost 15 acres with approximately 600 free parking spaces.
Anchor tenants include The Range, Currys, Wren Kitchens, DFS and Pets at Home trading from a range ofretail formats from 1,900 square feet to circa 52,000 square feet.
As one of the UK’s most established and dominant retail warehouse clusters, Merry Hill delivers close to half amillion sq ft of food, convenience and homeware retailing and is complemented by the significant fashion andleisure provision in the adjacent 1,400,000 sq ft Merry Hill Shopping Centre.
The combined retail critical mass is a major draw across the West Midlands as a whole. Merry Hill has an
estimated spend of some £600 million per annum, demonstrating the dominance of the location with a large
and loyal shopping catchment of more than 540,000 people within a 20-minute drivetime.
Phoenix Retail Park is the dominant retail park in Corby, offering 118,200 sq ft of retail warehouseaccommodation with anchor tenants including M&S Foodhall, Matalan, The Range, Currys, Next and The Food

Warehouse. Its occupier mix is complementary to the demographics of the local catchment with a focus onfood, discount and convenience-led retailing. It adjoins a 95,000 sq ft Asda superstore, which adds further
critical mass, and the town of Corby has recorded significant population growth over the last decade, withfurther growth on the existing 203,000-strong catchment forecast thanks to a residential development pipelineof more than 12,000 new homes.
Tom Elviss, Fund Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate commented: “The simultaneous acquisitionof both Phases 2 and 3 at Merry Hill Retail Park from two separate vendors constitutes a majority holding at
one of the UK’s dominant retail warehouse clusters in the West Midlands. This presents a significant
opportunity to maximise the assets’ potential under single ownership.
“Phoenix Retail Park is set to benefit from Corby’s sizeable residential development pipeline, which brings withit a catchment growth proposition that will allow us to enhance the tenant mix further.
“At both locations, we intend to draw on our strong retailer relationships and scale in the retail warehousemarket as we seek to proactively asset manage the holdings to deliver strong returns for our investors.”
For the Merry Hill transaction, Harvey Spack Field acted for the purchaser and Morgan Williams represented
the vendors, while Savills advised the purchaser on the Phoenix Retail Park acquisition and Knight Frankrepresented the vendor.
- ENDS About Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate
Columbia Threadneedle has a global presence in real estate providing an investment platform for clientsaround the world. Columbia Threadneedle’s real estate offering forms a core part of its Alternatives business,
which has $33bn[1] of assets under management.
Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate has 125+ investment professionals and manages $25.4bn[2] of assets
across physical real estate and public real estate equity.

Our real estate teams based across the UK, Continental Europe and US work together to offer a global
platform for clients, with a shared vision of the future of real estate.
www.columbiathreadneedle.co.uk/alternatives/real-estate
About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

[1]
[2]

As at 31 March 2024, Columbia Threadneedle Investments
As at 31 March 2024, Columbia Threadneedle Investments2Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset manager, entrusted with US$652bn / €604bn /£516bn[3] on behalf of individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world.
We have more than 2500 people including over 650 investment professionals based in North America, Europe
and Asia[4]. We offer our clients a wide range of strategies across equities, fixed income and alternatives, as well
as specialist responsible investment capabilities and a comprehensive suite of solutions.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global asset management group of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
(NYSE:AMP), a leading US-based financial services provider. As part of Ameriprise, we are supported by a large
and well-capitalised diversified financial services firm.
www.columbiathreadneedle.com
Follow us on Linkedin
In the UK: Issued by Threadneedle Asset Management Limited, No. 573204 and/or Columbia Threadneedle
Management Limited, No. 517895, both registered in England and Wales and authorised and regulated in the
UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle
group of companies.

[3]
[4]

Ameriprise Q1 2024 results
As at 31 March 2024, Columbia Threadneedle Investments3