Baker & McKenzie is advising The Link Management Limited ("Manager"), manager of The Link Real Estate Investment Trust (”The Link REIT”), on The Link REIT's acquisition of the commercial development, signage areas and commercial private car and motor cycle parking spaces of Lions Rise Mall in Kowloon (the "Property") from a wholly owned subsidiary of Kerry Properties Limited for a total consideration of HKD1.38 billion.

The Baker & McKenzie team is led by real estate partner Debbie Cheung. Commenting on the deal, Milton Cheng, head of the Firm’s REIT practice in Hong Kong/China, said, “We are delighted to continue to assist and support The Link REIT in its continued growth and development. This is the third property acquisition by The Link REIT since its IPO.”

The Link REIT currently has a portfolio consisting of 178 properties with an internal floor area of approximately 10.9 million square feet of retail space and approximately 78,000 car park spaces.

Baker & McKenzie's Asia-Pacific REIT Group has been at the forefront of groundbreaking REIT transactions in Asia.  The team has been involved in almost all of the significant transactions to date involving REITs listed or with assets in Hong Kong – including The Link REIT’s follow-on acquisitions and disposals, financings, medium-term note programme and investment mandate expansion into the PRC; Fortune REIT’s IPO, its dual primary listing in Hong Kong by way of introduction, follow-on acquisitions and financings; Prosperity REIT’s IPO, follow-on acquisitions and financings; Hui Xian REIT’s IPO, follow-on acquisition and financings; Yuexiu REIT’s IPO, follow-on acquisitions, financings and medium-term note programme; Champion REIT’s IPO, follow-on acquisitions, financings, medium-term note programme and convertible bonds issuances; Regal REIT’s follow-on acquisitions, financings and medium-term note programme; New Century REIT's IPO and follow-on acquisitions; Sunlight REIT’s IPO; and RREEF China Commercial Trust’s IPO.

The team has also advised on numerous other significant REIT-related deals in Asia Pacific – including Impact Growth REIT, likely to be the first REIT to be established in Thailand; Prospect REIT Investment Corporation's merger with Japan Rental Housing Investments Inc., Tower REIT’s IPO, Fubon No. 1 REIT’s and Fubon No. 2 REIT’s IPOs, MacarthurCook Industrial REIT’s IPO, Tokyo Growth J-REIT’s IPO, ARA Asset Management’s IPO, YTL Corporation’s acquisition of interests in Macquarie Prime REIT (now known as Starhill Global REIT) and Starhill Global REIT’s first acquisition in Australia.