Woking: Colliers mandated to sell McLaren campus
Supercar manufacturer McLaren Group has appointed Colliers to market its Woking headquarters in a sale-and-leaseback transaction expected to fetch more than £200 million.
The McLaren Campus is the global headquarters of the McLaren Group which comprises luxury British supercar maker McLaren Automotive, Formula 1 and IndyCar team McLaren Racing and technology business McLaren Applied.
The McLaren Campus comprises the McLaren Technology Centre, McLaren Production Centre – where the brand’s supercars are hand-built - and the McLaren Thought Leadership Centres. All are Foster & Partners designed Grade A buildings and are set in 84 acres of landscaped grounds.
Robert Campkin, head of corporate capital solutions for Colliers International, said: “The proposed sale and leaseback of the McLaren Campus offers a unique opportunity to acquire an award-winning state-of-the-art globally renowned and iconic headquarters campus let to the McLaren Group.
“This is a rare opportunity to acquire a high-profile asset in a core M25 location with long-term occupancy of 20 years. Such an iconic campus will undoubtedly be an attractive opportunity for global investors right now.”
The proposed sale-and-leaseback forms part of a broader drive by the Formula One car group McLaren to shore up its balance sheet as the pandemic hits its operations. It is also being advised on a debt restructuring and has completed an equity raise.
In a statement issued to Sky News, a McLaren spokesman said: "The potential sale and leaseback of our global headquarters and the appointment of banks to advise us on a debt restructuring and equity raise are part of the comprehensive refinancing strategy that we announced earlier this year.
"Building on the shorter-term measures that we put in place over the summer, these initiatives will deliver a stronger balance sheet and ensure that McLaren Group has a sustainable platform for long-term growth and investment.
"The proposed sale and leaseback mirrors best practice among leading companies and will have no impact on our day-to-day operations."
Source: CoStar
