Hines completes acquisition of final phase at Chatham & King

International real estate firm Hines has formally acquired the second phase of Chatham & King, a new high-profile mixed-use scheme next to the Gaiety Theatre on South King Street in Dublin city centre.

Hines's acquisition of the 3,950sq m (42,500sq ft) portfolio marks the culmination of the €165 million deal it agreed with US private equity giant Lone Star for the wider Chatham & King development in 2018. In acquiring the scheme, Hines fended off three rival bids. Two of the competing offers came from German funds, while the third bid came from the billionaire founder of the Zara fashion chain, Amancio Ortega.

In securing ownership of the development, Hines gained immediate control of a mixed-use building with retail units comprising 3,112sq m (33,500sq ft) occupied by Zara, H&M and Warehouse, along with 2,879sq m (31,000sq ft) of overhead office space occupied by data analytics management firm Qualtrics as its European headquarters.

The second phase, which has now been completed by Lone Star, comprises six residential units, five retail units totalling 1,486sq m (16,000sq ft) and 2,461sq m (26,500sq ft) of office space which will be occupied by Qualtrics. The €40 million cost of developing the new building on Chatham Street and Clarendon Row was included as part of the €165 million deal agreed on behalf of Hines European Core Fund (HECF) in 2018.

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Negotiations

Hines says that negotiations are at an advanced stage on each of the five new retail units, which range in size from 46sq m (495sq ft) to 1,178sq m (12,680sq ft). The incoming tenants will sit alongside the existing tenants, which include Zara, H&M and Apple-reseller CompuB, which recently signed a new lease for a 315sq m (3,400sq ft) retail unit on South King Street.

The Chatham & King scheme has a prime location next to Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green, and sits within close proximity to the Westbury Hotel and the new Dublin headquarters of the European Parliament, which is scheduled for completion in November 2023.

Simone Pozzato, managing director and deputy HECF fund manager at Hines, said: “The acquisition of phase two of Chatham & King completes the final element of this portfolio and marks the delivery of an LEED-accredited asset in the Dublin office and retail sector at an opportune time. The property is an excellent fit for HECF given its central location in Dublin, a city which continues to show strong economic growth.

“We are already encouraged by the promising engagements to date from some very exciting retail brands who would be ideally suited to this prestigious shopping district. We hope to have further announcements in this regard in the near future.”

Peter Lynn, director with Hines Ireland, added: “We are delighted to make this timely announcement as Dublin city centre continues to reopen and as Chatham Street itself has recently undergone a significant transformation with Dublin City Council’s pedestrianisation programme. Chatham & King is a high-quality addition to this historic street and our new retail spaces will represent a significant enhancement to the city’s most fashionable shopping district. We are also equally excited to be working with Qualtrics as our lead office occupier as they continue on their growth story.”