Press releases

Legal & General completes leasing of its first entirely Capsule building at 390 Strand

Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIM Real Assets) announces the final letting at 390 Strand, its 6,450 sq ft Capsule office building near Covent Garden in central London. Capsule is Legal & General’s ready to go workplace offer.

24 May 2022


Full press release

The building is one of 19 properties in LGIM Real Assets’ Sustainable DC Property Fund which places responsible investing at its core to meet the growing demand for protecting and enhancing real estate assets against the effects of climate change and in turn creates long-term value and performance. The Fund’s ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) aims include targeting net-zero operational carbon in the direct property portfolio by 2030, improving social impact and screening tenants based on ESG exclusion criteria.

Capsule has now leased over 1,300 desks in 44 deals since its launch in 2018, creating over £16 million of added value for investors. Capsule provides high quality, furnished and work-ready office space, offering a range of options to suit different occupier needs, moving away from the traditional Category-A fit out and longer lease length to fully fitted space let on a more flexible basis.

Lettings at the six-storey building range from 1,000 to 1,400 sq ft on five-year leases. Tenants include Viewforth Investment Partners, Quint Events, Sutton Architects, Harris Systems and Ludlow Group, with Holland & Barrett leasing the ground floor. Each floor accommodates from eight to 20 workstations and has its own reception, waiting area, meeting rooms, toilet facilities, kitchenette, fibre connection and break out space.

The property was substantially refurbished in 2020 with a redesign of the entrance and interior as well as a renovation of the front façade. Measures taken to enhance the ESG credentials of the building include the installation of a VRF combined heating and cooling system and a heat recovery ventilation system, LED lighting, water saving measures including leak detection and meters installed to each floor to enable occupiers to monitor their own lighting, electricity, and air conditioning usage.

A live air monitoring system measures the indoor air quality helping promote optimal health, comfort, and productivity. The building’s air quality was awarded a platinum AirScore by AirRated. The improvements have propelled the building’s EPC rating to B and a BREEAM in-use certification of excellent is being targeted.

Capsule reacts to an evolving managed market and complements Legal & General’s wider offer of developing and managing office assets. Other Capsule locations are available nearby at 43 Eagle Street, 55 Strand and Burleigh House, Strand.

Will Edwards, Head of Emerging Strategies for LGIM Real Assets: “The recent lettings at this high-quality space shows how by working together as a team to combine our innovative office leasing strategies and ESG experience has created long-term value and performance, benefiting both occupier demand and our investors, as well as reducing risk.”
Andrew Mercer, Office Sector Lead for LGIM Real Assets: "Capsule takes the best qualities from Cat A office space and the flexibility of co-working, to provide companies with their own front door and ready-to-go offices tailored to their specific needs.

We are pleased that despite the levels of competition in Covent Garden, these businesses have chosen a direct product from a trusted landlord. The building’s ESG credentials, high quality fit out, location and indoor environmental quality monitoring make it an easy choice for businesses scaling their own brand that truly value the wellbeing of their employees.”

Further information

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LGIM PR Team

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Notes to editors

Established in 1836, Legal & General is one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.2 trillion in total assets under management1 of which 40% is international. We have a unique and highly synergistic business model, which continues to drive strong returns. Legal & General provides powerful asset origination and management capabilities directly to clients, which also underpin our leading retirement and protection solutions. We are a leading international player in Pension Risk Transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income. Our purpose is to improve the lives of our customers and create value for our shareholders. Through inclusive capitalism, we are investing in long-term assets, such as real estate and infrastructure, that can help build a better society for the future.

1Data as at 31 December 2023.

LGIMRA is a division of Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of Europe’s largest
institutional asset managers and a major global investor. LGIM manages £1.29 trillion1 ($1.57tn) in
assets, working with a range of global clients, including pension schemes, sovereign wealth funds, fund distributors and retail investors.

LGIM Real Assets has assets under management of £36 billion2 ($43.8bn) and is one of the largest
private markets investment managers in the UK. Investing in both debt and equity and across the
risk/return spectrum, LGIM Real Assets actively invests in and manages assets across commercial,
operational and residential property sectors, as well as infrastructure, real estate, corporate and
alternative debt.

Taking a long-term view in order to future proof our investments, LGIM Real Assets continues to lead the industry in ESG performance, considering all environmental, social and governance issues at asset level as well as portfolio level.

1LGIM internal data as at 30 June 2022. These figures include assets managed by LGIMA, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Data includes derivative positions.
2Source: LGIM Real Assets. AUM data as at 30 June 2022.

*at 13 Jan 2023

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

For professional clients only. Past performance is not a guide to the future. The value of an investment and any income taken from it is not guaranteed and can go down as well as up, you may not get back the amount you originally invested. Views expressed are of LGIM as at 12 January 2023. The Information in this document (a) is for information purposes only and we are not soliciting any action based on it, and (b) is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities or pursue a particular investment strategy; and (c) is not investment, legal, regulatory or tax advice. Legal & General Investment Management Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 02091894. Registered Office: One Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5AA. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, No. 119272.