Mayer Brown advised Clarksons plc, the worldwide integrated shipping services provider, on securing a pre-let of Commodity Quay at St Katharine Docks, London, as their new head office.

Clarksons will take the 75,780 sq ft of office space at Commodity Quay on a 15 year lease.

Martin Wright, European head of Real Estate, said: “We’ve advised a number of large occupiers on office moves in London over the last year, reiterating how attractive London continues to be. We’re delighted to have advised Clarkson on this move.”

Olswang has advised long-standing client Heron, the property investment company, on the renaming of the iconic Heron Tower to Salesforce Tower London. Salesforce now occupies four additional floors, which with other terms agreed takes the tower to 90 per cent occupancy. Olswang advised both on the real estate aspects of the transaction and the naming rights agreements. 

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised its longstanding client and leading European real estate portfolio and asset managers, AXA Real Estate Investment Managers ("AXA Real Estate"), on the letting of 165,000 square feet of space at its King's Cross office development scheme to Google on a 15 year lease.

A Dentons team led by Warsaw partner Piotr Szafarz and Counsel Jakub Sobotkowski advised Goodman, the global property group that owns, develops and manages logistics space, on building a new central warehouse and office facility in Poznan for grocery and DIY franchising chain Mousquetaires Group. The site will dedicate 74,000 sq.m. to logistics and 8,500 sq.m. to office space. Goodman signed a 10-year lease with the Mousquetaires Group and delivery is due early next year.

A Travers Smith team, including Head of Real Estate Julian Bass and Real Estate senior counsel Emma Pereira, has advised Bannatyne Fitness Limited on a c.£92million deal involving the sale to M&G Investments and the leaseback to Bannatyne Fitness Limited of 39 Bannatyne's Health Clubs.

Ashurst recently advised Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd ("Hengyi Industries") on two key developments in relation to the construction and operation of Brunei's second petrochemical refinery: the finalisation of a long-term land lease agreement with the Brunei Economic Development Board ("BEDB") and the shareholder arrangements for the investment by the Strategic Development Capital Fund ("SDFC"), a Brunei government trust sub-fund, into Hengyi Industries.

Clifford Chance has advised long-standing client Canary Wharf Group plc on the leasing of space at 25 Churchill Place in Canary Wharf to EY.
EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, will be taking 200,000 square feet of office space spread over eight floors of the building on a 25 year lease.

Irwin Mitchell’s real estate department has advised Honda Motor Europe on its deal to take 70,000 sq ft at Reflex, Cain Road, Bracknell in one of the largest Thames Valley office lettings in the past 12 months.
 
Honda is relocating its European HQ from Langley in Berkshire to Reflex and will be moving later this year. It has taken a new 10 year lease at an undisclosed rent.
 
Reflex comprises 110,000 sq ft of refurbished offices and Honda will be joining General Motors and Netgear as tenants here.
 

McDermott Will & Emery LLP represented real estate private equity firm Savanna last week in a deal that will lease 140,928-square-feet to social media powerhouse Twitter in its recently renovated technology corridor located in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood.

Savanna purchased the buildings at 245 and 249 West 17th St. in 2012 and immediately renovated them to serve the growing needs of New York’s technology industry. The two separate buildings, which are more than 110 years old, retain their loft design but now offer a brand new lobby and upgraded, modern amenities.

Herbert Smith Freehills has acted for a Brookfield Office Properties and Oxford Properties joint venture on the pre-letting of the whole of One London Wall Place to fund manager Schroders. The transaction is believed to be the largest pre-let in the City of London since 2010.

The Herbert Smith Freehills cross-practice team (which comprised over 20 lawyers) was led by real estate partners, Donald Rowlands, Head of UK/EMEA Real Estate, and David Rosen.