Acquisition

Capital & Regional plc 10 July 2006 10 July 2006 CAPITAL & REGIONAL PLC AND GE REAL ESTATE ACQUIRE MANCHESTER ARENA FOR £62 MILLION Capital & Regional plc and GE Real Estate UK, in a 30:70 joint venture, have exchanged contracts to acquire the Manchester Arena Mixed Use Complex which includes the 20,000 seat MEN Arena, for £61.75 million from Anschutz Entertainment Group ('AEG'). The property, located on an eight acre site in the heart of Manchester City Centre, comprises 120,000 sq ft of offices, a 1,075 space car park, ancillary retail and the 20,000 seat MEN Arena. The Arena plays host to wide variety of music, sporting and comedy events. The Complex was completed in 1995 as part of the Manchester Olympic Bid and is now a well established international venue. Its versatility has led to its use for concerts, ice hockey, boxing, Disney shows, exhibitions and blue-chip AGM's. It has been nominated International Venue of the Year from 2001-04, and between 2003-05 it has been awarded the title of Busiest Arena Venue in the World. The Arena is operated by SMG (UK) Ltd - an experienced operator of arenas and public venues worldwide. The Complex incorporates 120,000 sq ft of multi-let offices, of which 91,000 sq ft is let as a call-centre. The property provides a good income profile with 88% of the income secured for over eight years and 42% of the income linked to RPI. Fredrik Widlund, managing director of business development at GE Real Estate UK, commented: "This acquisition offered the opportunity to acquire a prime mixed-use investment in the heart of Manchester City Centre. We are excited to be looking at new and interesting opportunities which diversify our portfolio, especially when we can team up with true specialists, such as Capital & Regional to manage the asset with a view to extracting growth." Xavier Pullen, deputy chief executive, Capital & Regional, said: "We are delighted to be working with the team at GE on this prime investment in Manchester where C&R has a long and successful history." The Senior Debt Facility is being provided by Bank of Scotland Corporate. Christopher Dee acted on behalf of the joint venture. Paste the following link into your web browser to download the PDF document related to this announcement: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/9035f_-2006-7-7.pdf Notes to Editors About Capital & Regional plc Capital & Regional is the co-investing asset manager which specialises in town centre shopping centres, out of town retail parks, and urban entertainment complexes. Capital & Regional founded the Mall and Junction Funds in conjunction with Morley Fund Management. It also founded the X-Leisure fund with Hermes Investment Management Limited, and has a number of other joint ventures and developments. Its shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange. For further information see: www.capreg.com About GE Real Estate GE Real Estate (www.gerealestate.com) is a world leader in commercial real estate capital solutions. Formed in 1972, the business has more than US$38 billion in core assets with 44 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. GE Real Estate, backed by its parent company's AAA rating, offers a broad range of financing, equity and servicing solutions including: intermediate and long-term mortgage financing, restructuring and acquisition capital, niche equity investment, joint ventures, capital markets securitization and placements, and asset management. As one of the fastest growing units within GE Commercial Finance, Real Estate has experienced annual growth of more than 10% for the last ten consecutive years. GE Commercial Finance (www.gecommercialfinance.com) offers businesses an extensive array of financial services and products. With over US$260 billion in assets and an expertise in the mid-market, GE Commercial Finance provides loans, operating leases, financing programs and innovative structured capital to help customers grow. GE Commercial Finance is a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), a diversified services, technology and manufacturing company with operations worldwide. General Electric (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work - a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. About AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, it owns or operates some of the world's best arenas and theatres, numerous sports franchises including the Lakers (NBA), Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and The David Beckham Academy, and a collection of companies dedicated to producing, promoting and presenting world-class live entertainment. In May 2005, AEG announced that it had joined forces with O2 to help transform the former Millennium Dome and the surrounding area into the UK's most exciting and technically advanced music, sport and entertainment destination. It has been renamed 'The O2 and will open in 2007. AEG employs more than 3,000 staff in over 45 operating companies worldwide. Its international head office is at STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, and its European headquarters is now based in London. - ENDS - For further information: Capital & Regional: Xavier Pullen, Deputy Chief Executive Tel. 020 7932 8040 Hudson Sandler Michael Sandler Tel: 020 7796 4133 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
UK 100

Latest directors dealings