Uncertainty is still hanging over the future of two Aberdeen shopping centres in need of new owners.
The Trinity Centre on Union Street, and Bon Accord, on George Street, are both understood to have attracted interest.
Property investment and development advisory firm Sheridan Keane Real Estate Investment has been marketing the Trinity Centre on its website since September.
It is advertised as a “prime shopping centre investment, with repurposing potential”.
The mall, boasting 182,377sq ft of retail floor space and 7.9 million shoppers a year pre-Covid, is now listed as being “under offer”.
The Guernsey-based businesses behind Bon Accord were put into administration at the end of August.
Countless shoppers reacted with dismay on social media.
The shopping centre is now believed to be in a sale process after bids closed last month.
But the administrators – accountants and business advisors Azets – and the property firm appointed to handle the sale are tight-lipped about their progress to date.
‘Business as usual’
A spokesman for Azets said: “It remains business as usual, with the centre continuing to trade whilst the joint administrators continue to search for a buyer.”
Commercial property specialist Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) was tasked with the job of preparing particulars and managing the sale process for Bon Accord.
The company has so far failed to respond to requests for an update.
It is thought an as yet unnamed bidder for Bon Accord has submitted a bid of less than £10 million while the price for Trinity is estimated to be in the region of £1 million -£2 million.
Trinity is being sold by retail property investment manager Ellandi, on behalf of Austrian bank Bawag,
It changed hands nearly eight years ago as part of a £260 million deal also involving six other sites.
Bon Accord’s financial collapse came after a two difficult years of trading during which anchor store John Lewis shut for good.
Several other chain stores also shut their doors, although the mall’s bosses did their best to keep people coming in by introducing new pop-up shops and an indoor market.
Who is selling Bon Accord?
Sevket Sabanci, the Turkish billionaire behind Esas Holding – majority shareholder of low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines – is thought to have acquired the shopping centre about 10 years ago.
Mr Sabanci died in July 2021, aged 85.
Istanbul-based Esas is now led by his daughter, Emine Sabancı Kamıslı and son, Ali Sabanci.
The group’s property division owns owns several office buildings and shopping centres in cities including London, New York, Frankfurt and Aberdeen.
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