Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance advises on three out of five transactions nominated for 'Deal of the Year: Sale/Purchase' at 11th CRE Awards

The 11th annual CRE Awards were held on 24 April 2014 at Moscow's Forum Hall. The following transactions were nominated in the category 'Deal of the Year: Sale/Purchase': Sale/Purchase of the Metropolis SEC in Moscow, Acquisition of the Office Part of the Legenda Tsvetnogo Multifunctional Complex, Sale of the Aura Shopping Centre Novosibirsk, Sale of the White Gardens Office Centre in Moscow and Sale of the BAT-Yava Tobacco Factory.

For the third year running, a transaction completed with legal support from Clifford Chance was recognised 'Deal of the Year' – the sale-purchase of the Metropolis shopping centre. Completed in February 2013, it is acknowledged as the largest single commercial property transaction in Russian corporate history. The Clifford Chance team that advised the purchaser, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, included Marc Bartholomy, Franc Pena, Victoria Bortkevicha, Jeroen Thijssen, Logan Wright, Ella Omelchenko, Anna Krutik, Ekaterina Matveychuk, Tatiana Petrykina, Anastasia Serebrennikova, Jan Galin, Michael Anderson, Vitaly Koloskov, Egor Gonoboblev, Floris Schreuder and Nick Diakoumis (who received special mention by Morgan Stanley managing director Thierry Vanden Hende when announcing the award).

Metropolis, a 205,000 sq. m shopping centre in Moscow, is widely recognised as Russia's premier retail development, with a favourable location in the northwest of the city. It includes over 250 international and local retailers and is one of the most visited shopping centres in Moscow, with approximately 55,000 people passing through its doors every day.

Marc Bartholomy, Corporate Partner and Head of Real Estate at Clifford Chance Moscow, who led on the transaction, said: "We congratulate our client MSREF and Capital Partners for winning the CRE award 'Deal of the Year'. We are proud that after 2012 and 2013 another Clifford Chance-advised transaction has won this reputable award in 2014."