Gucci owner pays ₹8,000 crore to buy building near Trump Tower in New York

Kering SA, the fashion firm that owns Gucci and Balenciaga, purchased a building on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue for $963 million (approximately ₹8,000 crore), the latest massive New York City real estate deal by a global luxury company.

Kering bought 715-717 Fifth Ave., located at the corner of 56th Street, across from Trump Tower, according to a statement Monday. The property spans 115,000 square feet (10,700 square meters) and has multiple levels of retail space.

“This investment represents a further step in Kering’s selective real estate strategy, aimed at securing key highly desirable locations for its Houses,” Kering said in the statement.

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Kering joins others snapping up buildings in New York instead of leasing space. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Prada is expanding its presence in Manhattan with an $835 million deal that includes two acquisitions on Fifth Avenue. It was among the largest real estate purchases in the city last year. Automaker Hyundai Motor Group bought a Tribeca building for offices and a showroom.

The Prada and Kering Manhattan properties were sold by Jeff Sutton, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified citing private information.

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Representatives for Sutton and brokerage Eastdil Secured declined to comment.

Manhattan’s retail properties have held up better than some other building types including offices, the Real Estate Board of New York said in a report Monday. Leasing has been most competitive in neighbourhoods including SoHo and the Flatiron district.

Kering has purchased other prime retail properties in recent years, including spots on Avenue Montaigne and Rue de Castiglione in Paris. The company also owns buildings in Tokyo’s Omotesando and the Hôtel de Nocé, which houses Boucheron’s Paris flagship.