LCP named top direct owner of shopping centres

The Trevor Woods Going Shopping 2024, The Definitive Guide to Shopping Centres, showed that Kingswinford-based LCP retained the top spot for direct retail centre ownership.

The group also features in the top three for leading owners and investment managers for shopping centres in the UK, with 26 of its schemes in the top 200 centres. This includes Cwmbran Centre, which is ranked second in Wales and in the top 50 in the UK.

James Buchanan, group managing director of The LCP Group, said: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our outstanding asset management team, who have navigated this year with resilience and innovation. They are among the country’s leading retail centre experts and together we’re proud to be at the forefront of the UK property market.

“As a group, we continue to focus on the retail sector because it offers significant opportunities – not just as a return on our investment, but also because as an active landlord, we are committed to improving the offer in our retail portfolio.

“We own and manage a huge range of retail, from small neighbourhood parades to large dominant schemes and retail parks, and our aim is the same for all: to create a vibrant shopping experience for all, with national brands and local retailers sitting alongside one another.

“We’ve had phenomenal success this year with growing our portfolio and we will continue to acquire retail centres next year and beyond, enhancing our reputation as a leading property owner and investment manager in the UK.”

The report also named LCP as the leading landlord and second highest managing agent in the West Midlands, and ranked it third in the top owners and investment managers in Yorkshire and Humberside. In Wales, where it owns and manages the Cwmbran Centre, it moved up a place to second as the principality’s top retail landlord. In the north, it was ranked third as highest owner and investment manager.

The report pointed out that LCP and Evolve Estates, another company in the M Core collective, did not feature in its shopping reports 10 years ago, highlighting the rapid rise of the companies as they turned their focus to retail.

Evolve was also placed fourth in the owner and investment manager ranks in East Anglia and fifth in the south west.

In the past 12 months alone, LCP Group has acquired more than £140 million with major acquisitions including Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre, Central 12 Retail Park, Southport, Weaver’s Wharf, Kidderminster and The Centre Livingston.

In total, LCP Group has 191 retail assets in the UK worth £642 million. These comprise more than 2,500 retail units over 5.96 million sq ft. The group also has more than 3,000 tenants, from small, local independent retailers to large national chains.

It has £300 million available to invest for assets ranging from £500,000 to £30m and portfolios up to £150m and is actively seeking sites for acquisition.