The retail sector has always been popular with investors, even if the office sector has often been dominant. This popularity was much in evidence in France in late 2016, with a number of notable transactions across the country.

In Paris, Hines and Universal-Investment acquired the three-storey Marché Saint-Germain building from Belgian REIT Banimmo on behalf of the €1.3 billion European High Street retail mandate from Bayerische Versorgungskammer. Marché Saint-Germain, built in 1995 and aiming to resemble the historic market halls of the area, is located in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area and is part of a 6,572-square-metre mixed-use building, with eight public areas owned by the City of Paris and three private areas.

The acquisition is the BVK mandate’s fifth; the closing of this deal means that some 47 percent of the portfolio has now been committed.

Still in Paris, Deka Immobilien GmbH purchased a seven-storey retail pr