Omagh Showgrounds Retail Park sold to American investors

AN American investment firm has bought the Showgrounds Retail Park in Omagh in a reported £16.5m deal.

It is believed that Boston-based firm Columbia Threadneedle, bought the retail park off-market in October 2021 in a deal that has only emerged now due to research by a Belfast-based commercial consultant Lambert Smith-Hampton.

Located in Sedan Avenue, the Showgrounds is home to well-known retailers including Argos, Marks and Spencer, Next and Sports Direct.

It was previously sold in 2015 in a transaction between Ballymena-based firm, Corbo Group, and Tristan Capital in a deal worth £26.7m.

Tristan Capital, who sold the retail park to the American investors, is currently undergoing a number of asset sales across the UK.

The company also owns a number of other businesses across the North, including the Ernside shopping centre in Enniskillen. There are no reports that any other retail operations owned by the company in the North were sold as part of the deal.

Meanwhile, Columbia Threadneedle has been expanding its operations across the UK and Ireland.

They now own a number of different businesses including retail parks, offices and other assets. The firm has also bought a number of businesses and property across the North. Its portfolio of assets is worth £557 billion and they employ 2,500 people.

The Showgrounds Retail Park was built in 2002 on the site of the old Omagh Showgrounds.

It is listed as covering just over 90,000 sq ft.