HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong tycoon Victor Li has bought a London office tower for 1 billion pounds (980.76 million pounds) as he expands his overseas portfolio after taking over the business empire of his billionaire father Li Ka-shing.
Property company British Land and a Singaporean wealth fund GIC said in a statement that they had sold 5 Broadgate to a subsidiary of Victor Li's CK Asset Holdings (HK:1113).
The move comes days after Li's CK Infrastructure Holdings (HK:1038) made a A$12.98 billion ($9.8 billion) takeover offer for Australia's biggest gas pipeline company, APA Group (AX:APA), offering a hefty 33 percent premium to tap into a tight gas market.
The London building, completed in 2015, generated a property return of 18 percent per annum for British Land.
CK Asset first entered the UK property market in 1995, and has developed a number of residential and commercial properties, including Royal Gate Kensington, Montevetro, Belgravia Place and Albion Riverside in London.
Li Ka-shing handed over the keys of his empire, which includes CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd (HK:0001), to his elder son earlier this year.