Secret millionaire Nick Leslau buys St Katharine Docks | Business | The Guardian

Secret millionaire Nick Leslau buys St Katharine Docks | Business | The Guardian

Secret millionaire Nick Leslau buys St Katharine DocksProperty entrepreneur Nick Leslau outlines refurbishment plans for Thameside estate near London's Square Mile


One of Britain's wealthiest property entrepreneurs, Nick Leslau, has bought St Katharine Docks near Tower Bridge in London for £156m. He will refurbish the six buildings around the marina and hopes to lure financial services firms and other tenants from the City of London.

Leslau's Aim-listed Max Property Group teamed up with a South African family trust to buy the freehold estate for £3,670 per sq metre (£330 per sq ft). The property mogul, who co-owns Saracens rugby club and whose portfolio includes Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds, hopes to let out the offices at St Katharine Docks for £35 per sq ft "and possibly more".

He was pleased with the deal, having fought off competition from other property companies: "It's very rare to get 20 acres in central London for £330 per sq ft." Pointing to the Shard, which is going up across the river at London Bridge and is expected to house 12,500 office workers after it opens next year, Leslau said: "It's no longer vital to be in the Square Mile. You no longer have to be in a cluster of office buildings to get grade-A space