CK Asset sells London office block to South Korean pension fund for US$1.6 billion
- CK Asset Holdings had acquired 5 Broadgate for £1 billion in June 2018
- It was the first major acquisition by Victor Li after taking over the company from his father Li Ka-shing
![CK Asset on Friday said that it had sold the 5 Broadgate office building next to Liverpool Street railway station in London. Photo: Handout](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/03/11/9f7572e4-709b-4130-a6a7-523a61d63a1b_cf1fef4f.jpg?itok=vI5pkGR9&v=1647011584)
CK Asset Holdings has sold a prime London office tower for £1.2 billion (US$1.6 billion) less than four years after acquiring it, the flagship company of Hong Kong’s wealthiest tycoon Li Ka-shing said on Friday.
5 Broadgate, the London headquarters of Swiss investment bank UBS group, was bought by CK Asset in June 2018 for £1 billion, with proceeds from the sale of The Center office tower in Hong Kong.
CK Asset said it expected a gain of about £108 million from the sale, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
The company, in a separate statement, said the return on investment was 45 per cent, amounting to about HK$4.8 billion (US$614 million), as this took into account “rental income throughout the holding period, appreciation of the property value over the original cost and hedging profits relating to this investment”.
![CK Asset Holdings said it expected a gain of about £108 million from the sale of 5 Broadgate. Photo: Bloomberg CK Asset Holdings said it expected a gain of about £108 million from the sale of 5 Broadgate. Photo: Bloomberg](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/03/11/56379965-8629-4366-b2bb-b4ef2dd1d147_2b6e4780.jpg)
South Korea’s National Pension Service is the tower’s buyer.
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