Boultbee, the property company run by the Boultbee-Brooks brothers, plans to invest £200m in UK and European retail and industrial property.

Boultbee said it exited the UK market over the course of 2007 and 2008 and completed the sale of Helsinki’s Kamppi shopping centre in early 2008 for €452.5m. It now thinks it is the right time to again invest in the UK.

Clive Boultbee-Brooks, managing director of Boultbee, said: ‘We now believe that the time is right to be re-entering the UK market. We are primarily looking for opportunities in the sale and lease-back market and high quality retail properties throughout Europe.’

Steve Boultbee-Brooks, chairman, said: ‘It is a very exciting time for Boultbee. Clive and I founded the company in 1987 and we now have the opportunity to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities ahead of us.

‘We would welcome talks with owners interested in any sale and lease-back opportunities. The new properties would be managed by EFM, who currently manage over €3bn of property assets on behalf of Boultbee, third party investors and funds.’

EFM has a 200 strong team of property professionals situated in the UK and Northern Europe comprising of five divisions.

Of the £200m to invest a large portion has been allocated to the sale and leaseback market. The rest will be invested in high street retail properties and multi-let industrial estates in the UK.

Peter Goldstein, formerly of Michael Elliott has left to set up Aurum Real Estate. He advises Boutlbee.