Mitsui Fudosan UK and development partner Stanhope plc have confirmed three office lettings comprising over 90,000 sq ft at Angel Court, Bank, the partnership’s 300,000 sq ft prime office building in the heart of the City of London.
Bupa, the international health and care company, has signed for 56,000 sq ft of space on a 15-year term on Angel Court’s lower floors. Bupa will move its global headquarters to Angel Court from its existing premises in Holborn, London, by the end of the year.
A new financial services trade association, which will bring together six member organisations from across the UK, has completed a deal for 25,000 sq ft on the building’s fifth floor. As yet unnamed, the new trade body will bring together the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA), British Bankers’ Association (BBA), Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK), Payments UK and the UK Cards Association (UKCA). The merger is an expansion of last year’s deal to bring together BBA, Payments UK, CML and UKCA and will be officially launched over the summer. Benefiting from the building’s unique location in the heart of London’s financial district and next to the Bank of England, the new trade association is expected to move into Angel Court in July.
Finally, Chinese commercial bank Shanghai Pudong Development Bank has signed for 9,000 sq ft on a ten-year term at Angel Court. The bank has taken the entire 19th floor, which forms one of the building’s 18 upper ‘sky floors’, and boasts uninterrupted 360 degree views of the London skyline.
Angel Court, which completed in February of this year, is one of only two towers to be delivered in the City this year. Alongside providing high quality office accommodation, the scheme also boasts a popular and varied dining offer, which will significantly rejuvenate the surrounding streetscape upon opening.
Over the last six months, Mitsui Fudosan UK and Stanhope have confirmed deals with four new food and beverage occupiers. Modern Peruvian restaurant, Coya, signed for 4,500 sq ft of bar and restaurant space in the southern-most section of the scheme’s ground floor. The Natural Kitchen has completed a deal for 6,000 sq ft in the Copthall Avenue unit, across the building’s ground and lower floors. Specialty coffee, food and wine company, Notes, has signed for 1,500 sq ft in the unit to the south of the building’s reception, whilst Neil Rankin’s tandoori-style barbecue restaurant, temper, has signed for 5,000 sq ft. Notes has now opened to the public, whilst Coya is expected to open by early May. The Natural Kitchen and Temper are anticipated to open later in the summer.
Commenting on the deals, Eiichiro Onozawa, Managing Director of Mitsui Fudosan (UK) Ltd, said: “These significant first lettings at Angel Court are a clear testament to the attractive, high quality accommodation we have delivered in the heart of one of the world’s most competitive and high-profile business centres. This building demonstrates our commitment over the long term to invest in and develop prime schemes across London, which cater to the evolving occupier market and set the bar for all developments which follow.”
David Camp, Chief Executive of Stanhope plc, added: “Our partnership with Mitsui Fudosan UK continues to flourish, and has delivered another best-in-class scheme that will meet the needs of all our significant new occupiers and their employees. We look forward to welcoming them to this landmark new office space later this year, in addition to welcoming our neighbours and the wider public to enjoy the scheme’s superb dining and leisure offer.”
Angel Court has been designed by Fletcher Priest Architects, with Waterman Group appointed as multidiscipline engineering consultants.
GM Real Estate, Cushman & Wakefield and JLL acted for Mitsui Fudosan UK and Stanhope. Cushman & Wakefield acted for the new financial services trade association and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank.
