EUROPE: China wealth fund buys 1.3 billion euros of Europe retail properties | Progresiv
China Investment Corp, the country’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, bought retail properties in France and Belgium valued at about 1.3 billion euros from a fund managed by CBRE Global Investors. 
CIC acquired the properties with affiliates of AEW Europe, according to a statement Monday. The deal includes two shopping centers near Antwerp, Belgium, as well as malls, a retail park and other stores across France, CBRE Global Investors said.
International investors are buying retail properties in mainland Europe to take advantage of a nascent economic recovery. Offices, shops and logistics buildings valued at 87.3 billion euros changed hands in the first quarter, 25 per cent more than a year earlier, according to data compiled by BNP Paribas Real Estate.
The properties sold by the CBRE fund have 221,000 square metres of space rented to retailers. (www.esmmagazine.com)
