News & Events | News

Wednesday 10th October 2007

European law firm SJ Berwin LLP‘s real estate division has advised Marks & Spencer on its agreement to take a 125 year lease for a new 80,000 sq ft net (134,000 sq ft gross) anchor store in the Portsmouth Northern Quarter scheme, to be developed conditional on planning.

The scheme is being developed by Centros Miller and funded in a joint venture between Miller and Delancey. It is part of the regeneration plans for Portsmouth and will create a mixed-use development of retail and residential use.  John Lewis has already agreed to be an anchor tenant at the other end of the scheme.

William Boss, real estate partner at SJ Berwin, led the SJ Berwin team advising M & S, assisted by associate Mark Mallon. Duncan Field, planning partner advised on planning issues.  Centros Miller was advised by Mark Heighton, real estate partner at CMS Cameron McKenna.

For further information please contact:

William Boss on + 44(0)20 7111 2832, email william.boss@sjberwin.com  or Karen Roberts on +44 (0)20 7111 2578, email karen.roberts@sjberwin.com   

• On 1 June 2005 SJ Berwin LLP, an English limited liability partnership, took over the business of the SJ Berwin general partnership.  SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.
   
• SJ Berwin LLP was named ‘UK Firm of the Year’ at the 2005 Legal Week Awards on 30 November.  The award recognised SJ Berwin’s five years of international expansion and its involvement in a series of high quality deals.
   
• SJ Berwin's Real Estate Division totals 150 staff  in London of which 23 are partners (3 of which are tax partners) ,and over 70 associates, encompassing the disciplines of Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Planning & Environment, Property Litigation, Real Estate Funds and Tax.  In addition there are 3 dedicated European real estate partners.  There is an increasing emphasis on cross departmental activity with related areas of Banking and Corporate and also cross border / pan European real estate work, with our European offices.  The division acts for blue chip clients including British Land, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Hilton Group, Brixton plc, AXA, The Crown Estate, Marks & Spencer and Gazeley.
   
• The Real Estate Team was Legal Business Real Estate Team of the Year 2005.  It was also named "Real Estate Team of the Year" in the Lawyer Magazine Awards 2004, following its advice on the RBS/Canary Wharf transaction, the highest-value property investment transaction in the UK in 2004.
   
• Revenue from Real Estate represents approximately 21% of the firm's total revenue in London.