The Hong Kong-based sauces and condiments group Lee Kum Kee has approached the owners of London’s “Gherkin” skyscraper about a potential purchase in the latest sign of east Asian appetite for trophy real estate in the UK capital.
The group is eyeing a bid for the Norman Foster-designed tower, which is owned by Brazil’s Safra Group, said two people briefed on the situation. But they cautioned that the building was not being marketed and there was no certainty of a deal.
Lee Kum Kee, which acquired another London office building in the Docklands area in 2016, has been examining a series of big-ticket London buildings through agents CBRE, with a view to further purchases, one person said.