The building, near Oxford Circus, will become the first London property by the Leeu Collection. The South African brand has bought the former offices at 55 Newman Street, which are believed to date back to the 1960s or 1970s. The building will become a 100-room hotel, due to open in 2019.
Abta quit the building in the late 1990s to move a few doors down to 68 Newman Street. The association purchased this building and still owns it, but had only leased no.55.
Leeu Collection owns three properties in South Africa’s winelands plus Linthwaite House overlooking Lake Windermere and Leeu Villa Querce in Florence.
Carrie Wicks, Leeu Collection chief executive said: “The purchase of a London property is a very exciting development for Leeu Collection, as it marks the first acquisition for the group in a major city, but it will certainly not be the last.”
