Entrepreneur pouring millions into London's “world-class” property market

Indian entrepreneur Sameer Gehlaut has doubled down on his commitment to London with new plans to invest heavily in property in the capital over the next 12 months, with a focus on “world-class” commercial real estate projects.

The announcement follows the news last year that Gehlaut sold a significant stake in Indiabulls Housing Finance, totalling £150m. At the time, he announced that one of his focuses in the UK would be technology investment.

Today, the investor has announced that he will also leverage that war chest to hunt for new opportunities in the London real estate market. Over recent years, Gehlaut has invested heavily in the UK economy through his family office Clivedale, which is now one of London’s largest “super-prime” developers.

Its current developments include some of the city’s most prestigious addresses: The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair; The Mansion, Marylebone; Mayfair Park Residences; and 73-77 Brook Street.

Clivedale is also behind the redevelopment of 20 Carlton House Terrace, which was recently leased to energy giant BP in the “biggest deal of its kind over the last decade”. As part of this renewed commitment, Gehlaut is on the hunt for new commercial redevelopment opportunities in Mayfair and the surrounding area.

Sameer commented: “Investment in high-end property is the beating heart of London’s economy. Without high-quality, attractive spaces for the international elite to live and work in, they will not choose to locate themselves in London, denying it the wealth which flows as the city’s lifeblood.”

“Current take-up of office space in London’s West End is far above virtually all other locations. This is primarily driven by demand for design-led, luxury office spaces. Developers can expect fantastic projected returns from piloting developments at the forefront of this growing trend.”

This is not the first time Gehlaut has invested heavily in the UK. He was one of the earliest investors in OakNorth Bank, which has lent out in excess of £5bn and created more than 22,500 new jobs across the UK.

In 2020, it was named Europe’s fastest-growing business, according to research by The Financial Times. Over the last decade, he has invested in the region of £750m in the UK economy.

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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