This evening the property of the LIDL in the ‘Tribeca site’ at the Rabot in Ghent was purchased from the real estate promoter Ghelamco. This is the fourth LIDL in the real estate portfolio, after Leuven, De Panne and Merksem.
The former textile factory ‘Filature de Rabot’ is the pearl of the renewed Ghent Bloemekens district and the architectural heart of Tribeca. Residents and shoppers alike will find all the assets that have made the eponymous New York a success: an attractive location on the water, a pleasant residential environment, easy access and the exciting atmosphere of a part of town that is revived. Space for retail is also planned. More information on this successful Ghelamco project can be found www.tribeca.gent.
The LIDL, located at Frans van Ryhovelaan 1 in Ghent, is a store in the renewed ‘format’ and has a surface area of 2,000 m². In addition, the adjacent 325 m² building was purchased, where De Post will soon open a new post office. The associated 93 underground car parks were also purchased and are leased to LIDL and De Post-La Poste.
LIDL is a German chain of supermarkets in the discount segment. The company operates in large part of Europe, with some 10,000 stores in more than 23 countries. It is one of the fast-growing discounters in Europe and is also experiencing rapid and successful expansion in Belgium.
In addition to the ex-Albert Heijn in Leuven, which was recently converted into a LIDL, the LIDL in the Zeelaan in De Panne, and the renovation project of the C&A in Merksem into a new LIDL, Ulvenhout Retail Invest Fund now has four LIDL stores in its portfolio. These stores are all furnished based on the ‘new format’ principle, where LIDL, as a premium discounter, also offers various fresh and branded products. These acquisitions fit perfectly with the fund’s innovative investment strategy, which focuses on the acquisition of E-commerce resistant real estate.
Ulvenhout Retail Invest Fund now has about 50 neighbourhood supermarkets in its portfolio, strengthening its leading position as a real estate investor for local shops in Belgium. The current portfolio value now amounts to approximately EUR 160 million and generates approximately EUR 9.5 million recurring rental income.
For more information about these acquisitions or about Ulvenhout Retail Invest Fund, contact us here.