Technology Consortium

British Land Co PLC 29 June 2000 Major Property Owners Announce Formation of Consortium to Provide Telecoms Technology to Tenants' Desktops. A landlords' consortium of major property owners has been formed to provide tenants with access to high-tech telecommunications services. The initial members of the Consortium are The British Land Company PLC, Canary Wharf Group plc, Legal & General Property Ltd, Norwich Union Investment Management and Prudential plc. Together the Consortium members own or manage 18 million square metres comprising approximately £35 billion of institutional quality property across the office, retail and industrial sectors. It is the intention of the Consortium to invite other property owners to join them. In the first instance, the Consortium plans to wire its buildings for the future, to enable constantly upgradable fast access from tenants' desktops, including digital voice, data and video capabilities. This will open up the opportunity to provide comprehensive technology services and support to tenants, including best-of-class broadband services, e-commerce portals and ASP services. The Consortium has appointed Morgan Stanley Dean Witter to advise on the choice of commercial partners for this new enterprise. A 'Request for Proposal' is being sent out to potential partners on a selective basis. A spokesman for the Consortium said: 'We are very excited to be joining forces in this new enterprise. For the first time, as major property owners we will be able to aggregate the growing demand for these new and important telecoms services. This will enable us to provide the highest levels of service quality at affordable costs, even to our smaller business tenants. By broadening the range of our offer to our occupiers, we will significantly enhance the value of the traditional landlord and tenant relationship. We look forward to working together and building further for the future.' About The British Land Company PLC British Land was founded in 1856 and is one of the largest quoted U.K. property companies with total properties under management of approximately £9.5 billion. The company has a long-term view strategy and therefore principally invests in income-producing, freehold properties to maximise their growth and potential. British Land is also active in property trading and development and augments its activities through innovative financing. Its portfolio comprises 43% offices, 46% retail, 5% development, 4% leisure and 1% industrial & distribution. Over 90% of its office portfolio is located in the City and West End and includes important developments such as the Broadgate Estate, Plantation House, Ludgate House and Regent's Place. The overall portfolio is of high quality with 91% acquired within the last ten years. About Canary Wharf Group plc The Canary Wharf Group is a distinctive, integrated property development company focused exclusively on Grade A office space and high quality retail facilities at the Canary Wharf Estate, a major development which is part of the Central London Office Market. Canary Wharf Group plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1999. Canary Wharf was subsequently admitted to the FTSE 250 and currently has a portfolio valued at over £4 billion. About Legal & General Property Ltd Legal & General Property Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Legal & General Investment Management Holdings. The ultimate parent is Legal & General Group plc, which is one of the largest financial services companies in the UK. Legal & General Property Ltd manages over £4.5 billion of UK property in six funds for both internal and external clients. It is one of the largest property fund managers in the UK. Legal & General Property Ltd is experienced in both direct and indirect property investments and has a major development programme. The portfolios comprise 47% retail, 30% offices, 20% industrial, and 3% other uses. 50% is located in London and South East. About Norwich Union Investment Management Norwich Union Insurance Group, through Norwich Investment Management and Morley Properties, is one of the largest owners and managers of property in the United Kingdom. With approximately £7 billion owned and managed, Norwich Investment Management is focused on value creation and value preservation for its portfolio of investments. About Prudential plc Prudential is one of the largest institutional property investors in the United Kingdom, with around £10 billion under management. It employs over 100 property investment professionals committed to the investment performance of the funds under management. Its philosophy is one of value investing, believing that market prices do not always reflect fundamental value. The property team manages funds ranging in size from under £20 million to over £7 billion. It manages pension funds on a segregated basis and also offers a pooled property fund of over £300 million, through which pension funds can gain access to a well-diversified portfolio of commercial property. Contacts: Nick Ritblat The British Land Company PLC (020) 7467 2890 Peter Anderson Canary Wharf Group plc (020) 7418 2212 Stuart Beevor Legal & General Property Ltd (020) 7528 6890 Ian Womack Norwich Union Investment Mgmt (016) 0368 4580 Martin Moore Prudential plc (020) 7548 6571 John Carrafiell Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (020) 7425 5654 Lorraine Baldry Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (020) 7425 6899
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