Daibiru’s first project in the UK: Acquisition of “Capital House”, a prime London office building

Daibiru Corporation announced the acquisition of a 100% stake in Capital House, 85 King William Street, London EC4 (hereafter referred to as “the property”), a 121,489 sq. ft. office and retail building located in heart of the City of London. This transaction marks the Company's first entry into the UK market, with a headline purchase price of £169 million (approximately 32 billion yen).

In addition, the Property is expected to serve as the new European and African headquarters of the MOL Group, with its wholly owned subsidiary MOL (Europe Africa) Ltd. and other London-based Group companies planning to relocate their offices as tenants.

This property is located in the heart of the City of London, a historic financial district that has long flourished as a center of commerce, home to institutions such as the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange. Alongside Wall Street in New York, the City of London has led the global economy and established itself as a major international financial hub. Even today, many of the world’s leading financial institutions maintain a presence in the City.

Although office demand temporarily declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and following Brexit, demand in London has already recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the City of London office market is recognized globally as a highly attractive core market for investors due to its strong liquidity and transparency.

Under MOL group management plan “BLUE ACTION 2035,” they are working to transform their business portfolio by increasing the weight of non-shipping and stable revenue businesses to offset the volatility of the shipping market and ensure profitability even during market downturns. In addition, they position their regional strategy—which promotes overseas investment, including new business development leveraging our global network—as a key growth initiative.

In collaboration with Daibiru, which has over 100 years of experience in the office building business and has participated in development projects in Vietnam, Australia, the United States, and India, and their globally deployed regional organizations, they will continue to actively pursue real estate projects overseas.