Simon J.Kiff

Partner

London + 44.20.7039.5323

Simon Kiff has 20 years of experience advising clients on complex and cross-border private equity transactions. Simon heads Jones Day's corporate practice in the London Office.

Simon has a particular focus on real estate private equity, across multiple sectors and asset classes, including retail, distribution, industrial, office, and hospitality assets. He regularly advises clients in establishing joint ventures, funds and other investment mandates, and on structured acquisitions and dispositions.

The clients Simon has recently advised in the real estate sector include Ares, British Land, CBRE Investment Management, DV4 Limited, Delancey, GoldenTree Asset Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Greystar, Henderson Park, Henley Investment Management, KKR, LondonMetric Property, Oaktree Capital Management, Oxenwood Real Estate, PGGM, and Welltower.

Simon has also advised on numerous cross-border M&A transactions across a variety of industries, including sports/leisure, industrials, manufacturing, consumer products, and financial services. Clients that Simon has advised include Procter & Gamble, RPC Group Plc, RPM International, Sheffield United Football Club, Sherwin-Williams, Standard Bank, and WL Ross.

Simon spent six months on secondment to Goldman Sachs in London, supporting the legal team for what was then Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division.

Experience

  • Travelodge acquires 66 Travelodge-branded hotels from LXi REITJones Day advised Travelodge Hotels Limited and GoldenTree Asset Management LP in the £210 million acquisition of 66 Travelodge-branded hotels on a freehold and long leasehold basis from its largest landlord, LXi REIT plc.
  • Greystar and Vía Célere create joint venture to acquire portfolio of 2,425 rental housing units in SpainJones Day advised Greystar Equity Partners Europe Fund I in relation to its joint venture with Via Célere and the related forward-purchase of a 12 project portfolio of rental housing units in Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Seville and Bilbao from Via Célere. The Build to Rent portfolio is one of the largest in Spain and will operate under the “Be Casa Essential” brand.
  • Rejuvenate acquires entire business operations of cell transplants manufacturer co.don AktiengesellschaftJones Day advised Rejuvenate GmbH, a subsidiary of ReLive Biotechnologies, in connection with the acquisition of the business operations of co.don Aktiengesellschaft ("CO.DON") (including all shares in its Dutch, UK and Swiss subsidiaries).
  • LondonMetric Property acquires urban logistics propertyJones Day advised LondonMetric Property Plc in the acquisition of PJM Properties (Droitwich) Limited, the owner of a long leasehold interest in an urban logistics property comprised of a 9 acre site used for vehicle storage and let to Amazon for a further five years.
  • Greystar acquires five high-quality UK assets for £388 millionJones Day advised Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC in the £388 million acquisition of four purpose built student accommodation ("PBSA") assets and one build-to-rent ("BTR") asset from Downing.
  • LondonMetric acquires MCL OmegaJones Day advised LondonMetric Property Plc in the acquisition of MCL Omega PropCo Limited and its subsidiary, THG Omega Limited.
  • Oxenwood Real Estate sells 951,000 square foot logistics warehouse in DaventryJones Day advised Oxenwood Real Estate LLP in its joint venture with AIMCo for the corporate disposal of a 951,000 square foot logistics warehouse in Daventry.
  • Goldman Sachs acquires The Belfry Hotel & ResortJones Day advised Goldman Sachs in the acquisition and financing of The Belfry Hotel & Resort from an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners.
  • Goldman Sachs purchases Paris office, retail building with Immobel SAJones Day acted as co-investor with Immobel SA in the $119 million purchase of a mixed-use property at 277 Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris.
  • Entity advised by Henley Investment acquires Bedfont Lakes, New Square office parkJones Day represented an entity advised by Henley Investment Management Limited in connection with its acquisition of the Bedfont Lakes, New Square office park near Heathrow airport and the establishment of a joint venture with Sixth Street.
  • Goldman Sachs acquires Gatehouse Bank's Thistle Build to Rent property portfolioJones Day advised Goldman Sachs Co in connection with the £150 million acquisition and financing of Gatehouse Bank‘s Thistle Build to Rent property portfolio.
  • Henderson Park Real Estate Fund forms joint venture with Hines for acquisition and development of residential-for-sale complexJones Day advised Henderson Park Real Estate Fund in its formation of a joint venture with Hines for the acquisition of a 71,000-square-meter site in Athens, Greece, for the development of a residential-for-sale complex, from the Benaki Museum.
  • PolyOne acquires Clariant color and additive masterbatch business for $1.5 billionJones Day advised PolyOne Corporation in the $1.5 billion purchase of Clariant’s global color and additive masterbatch business.
  • Standard Bank sold 20% stake in ICBC ArgentinaJones Day advised Standard Bank Group Limited in the $180.7 million sale of its 20% interest in ICBC Argentina and its related companies to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
  • Henderson Park Real Estate Fund forms joint venture with Hines for acquisition of five hotels on Greek island of CreteJones Day advised Henderson Park Real Estate Fund in its formation of a joint venture with Hines for the acquisition of a portfolio of five hotels on the Greek island of Crete.
  • Goldman sold iQ Student Accommodation dorms to Blackstone for £4.66 billionOn May 15, 2020, Jones Day clients Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and the Wellcome Trust completed the sale of iQ Student Accommodation to Blackstone for £4.66 billion (US$5.73 billion), representing the largest ever private real estate transaction in the UK.
  • Delancey and APG Joint Venture acquires Earls Court for £425 millionJones Day represented Earls Court Investment Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of a joint venture between a fund advised by Delancey and APG on behalf of its pension fund clients, in connection with its £425 million acquisition of EC Group Holdings Limited from a subsidiary of Capital & Counties Properties Plc.
  • Oxenwood acquires Heathfield Industrial Estate in Newton AbbotJones Day advised Oxenwood Real Estate LLP in the acquisition of the site at the Heathfield Industrial Estate in Newton Abbot formerly occupied by British Ceramic Tile Limited.
  • Arsenal Capital Partners acquires HistoGeneX and Caprion BiosciencesJones Day advised Arsenal Capital Partners on major investments in HistoGeneX and Caprion Biosciences and the subsequent combination of the two businesses.
  • Chapter acquires Central London Student AccommodationJones Day advised Chapter in its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Reining Limited and Paul Street (General Partner) Limited and the resulting interest in a Central London student accommodation property known as Paul Street East at 18-20 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4JH.