Kseniya Merritt to further Union Investment’s retail exposure in North America

Union Investment Real Estate GmbH has reinforced its investment activities in the North American retail markets by hiring retail expert Kseniya Merritt.

Merritt joined Union Investment’s team based in New York City on May 1.

Merritt will be in charge of expanding Union Investment’s existing retail portfolio in the United States as well as investigating market entry opportunities in Canada.

Kseniya joins the company from Brixmor Property Group, where she ran the capital recycling program for the South Region of the company consisting of 154 shopping centers. Prior to that, she spent 10 years at a private equity firm, Lamar Cos., where she focused on retail and was responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, and securing of equity and debt financing for the transactions.

Union Investment currently holds some 80 retail properties valued at approximately $9.6 billion in its portfolio. Already active in the U.S. office markets for more than 30 years, the company entered the U.S. retail sector last year by purchasing a 49 percent stake in four retail properties in New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco via a joint venture with TIAA Global Asset Management.