Invesco Real Estate offers direct global fund to DC pension schemes

In the first move of its kind, the Invesco Global Real Estate Fund (GREF) has been made available to U.K. defined contribution (DC) pension schemes.

The decision to open the fund to DC schemes marks a new era of direct investment into the global commercial property market for the United Kingdom, which has steadily moved away from a defined benefit pensions model to a DC-dominated one in the past 20 years. Prior to this, DC investors were limited to investing solely in U.K. direct property funds.

Invesco Real Estate has worked with a large U.K. DC pension scheme, which was advised by consultancy Lane, Clark & Peacock (LCP), to bring about the development. A number of major U.K. DC pension schemes have already made a significant initial investment in GREF as part of their default strategy for members through the platforms.

“Opening a broader spectrum of investments can help DC members grow their pension savings for when they retire,” said Simon Redman, ma