Operations Engineer

Hines expands UK retail park portfolio with trio of acquisitions. Hines has expanded its UK retail park portfolio with the acquisition of three fully leased assets totaling 438,000 sq ft across Greater London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The assets were acquired on behalf of the Hines European Core Fund (HECF), led by fund manager Simone Pozzato. The acquisitions come as UK retail parks benefit from a scarcity advantage, with new development at historic lows and resilient occupier demand having supported some of the strongest rental growth of any retail format over the past five years. "We see UK retail parks as an increasingly compelling part of a diversified core portfolio," said Alfonso Munk, global co-head of investment management at Hines. "Limited new supply, strong retailer demand, and attractive income characteristics create a combination that has been difficult to replicate elsewhere in the retail market. These acquisitions allow us to build meaningful exposure in three of the UK's strongest metropolitan markets." HECF has acquired Nugent Shopping Park, a 139,000 sq ft retail park in Orpington, anchored by a full-line Marks & Spencer store; Altrincham Retail Park, a 228,000 sq ft retail park in North West England; and Straiton Retail Park in Edinburgh, a 71,000 sq ft retail park within one of Scotland's leading retail destinations. "These acquisitions demonstrate the strength of our local sourcing capabilities and our focus on creating value through active management," said Ross Blair, head of western Europe at Hines. "Success comes down to picking the right assets and executing well. We believe these retail parks combine strong fundamentals with clear opportunities to create value over time." Hines will oversee asset management across the portfolio through its UK platform.

Hines buys london retail park from british land. Deal announced as investor confirms acquisition of two other parks in Scotland and Manchester Want to read the full article? You must be a subscriber to its UK/Europe news coverage to read this article.

Vancouver hotel projects planned for Marpole, downtown. Posted on August 24, 2026 by Mike Howell The City of Vancouver has received two separate rezoning applications that propose to build a total of 523 hotel rooms in mixed-use projects planned for Marpole and downtown. BDK Development Corp. is behind the 30-storey building at 8555 Cambie St. while Reliance Properties Ltd. and real estate investment management firm Hines have applied to build a 49-storey tower at 1166 West Pender St. BDK's proposal replaces a two-storey commercial building in the Marine Landing area with a tower that will accommodate 25 storeys of hotel space with 324 rooms, industrial space for a bakery, a restaurant on the 30th floor and retail shops. "We believe that the addition of hotel, employment and industrial spaces this project delivers, as well as the photovoltaic panel designs and ground-floor public realm enhancements support livability, health and sustainability in Marine Landing," BDK said in its application booklet. BDK says photovoltaic panels would enable the production of renewable energy for the building, while the panels are strategically angled to provide occupants with shade in the summer and light penetration in the winter. 'Hotel space outside of downtown Vancouver' The site is located between Southwest Marine Drive and Kent Avenue, 180 metres from the Marine Drive Canada Line station, the first stop into Vancouver from Vancouver International Airport. "The proposal responds to the growing demand for visitor accommodation and council's directive to increase hotel space outside of downtown Vancouver," said BDK. The company is working with Sea to Sky Architecture and RR Planning Ltd. on the project. The nearest accommodations to the site are an older hotel to the west at Oak and Southwest Marine Drive, as well as two short-term rentals several blocks to the north and east. "Given the site's unique gateway location, amenity draw and growing population, the additional hotel space would benefit the community with more available jobs and more visitors to support local businesses," BDK said. Since the opening of the Canada Line in 2009, the area has been transforming into an urban community with a growing mix of housing, jobs and services. The change has increased traffic volumes. The site is located to the south of several mixed-use tower sites that range from 13 to 35 storeys, with the tallest buildings adjacent to Marine Drive station. 'Market conditions' scrap original proposal. Meanwhile, the hotel proposal for 1166 West Pender St. includes 199 hotel rooms on the first 11 levels of the tower. Another 33 levels would be dedicated to 340 strata residential units, according to the Reliance-Hines application booklet. The original scheme for the wedge-shaped site in the central business district, which received rezoning approval in 2019, was a 32-storey office tower with more than 350,000 square feet of office space. It would have replaced a 15-storey building. "Due to market conditions, the project is unable to proceed as previously proposed," the developers' application booklet said. "The new design features a more slender tower form, greater setbacks and a smaller tower plate compared to the original office building, better integrating into the surrounding urban context while increasing the total height [to 530 feet] and program mix." Several new projects have recently been built in the neighbourhood. Directly across the lane south of the proposed site is The Stack, a 33-storey, 531.5-foot office building. Further to the south is the Paradox Hotel, a 63-storey tower at 1161 West Georgia St. Down the street to the east on 1090 West Pender St. is another recently constructed 31-storey office building. The 13-storey Loden Hotel and the 20-storey Coast Coal Harbour hotel are in the neighbourhood. "The proposed 1166 West Pender project addresses critical gaps in Vancouver's housing and hotel sectors while supporting long-time economic growth and aligning with city policies aimed at addressing housing needs and improving the local tourism economy," Reliance-Hines said. The public feedback window for people to weigh in on the project runs from Nov. 18 to Dec. 1. The question-and-answer period for the 8555 Cambie St. proposal opens Nov. 4 and runs until Nov. 17. Participation can occur by accessing the City of Vancouver's "Shape Your City" section of the website. X/@Howellings