British property company
Criterion Capital is a privately-held British property company, which owns and manages property estate in prime areas of London, particularly in Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.[1]
History
The company was founded by current Chief Executive Asif Aziz, a Malawi-born developer.[2] The company's flagship project is the London Trocadero leisure complex on Piccadilly Circus, which was acquired in 2005. Part of the building was converted into a hotel which opened in 2020: the Zedwell Piccadilly has 728 windowless rooms and a large rooftop bar.[3][4]
In April 2020, the company served its tenants with notices that they would be met with legal action if they did not pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, despite the government moratorium on evictions.[5] The company extended rent-free periods to some tenants that were deemed to be "in need."[6] Plans were submitted in May 2020 to develop parts of the building's basement into a mosque.[7] These plans drew controversy as the Picadilly neighborhood was known for its nightlife rather than places of worship.[8]
Criterion Capital is also developing projects in Croydon with the purchase of two office buildings around 2015,[9] and has a riverside site at Enderby's Wharf, East Greenwich.[10]
The ultimate owner of the company is a trust linked to Aziz, via ACT Property Holdings Ltd, an Isle of Man company.[11]
In 2022, the company invested €80 million into residential apartments in Miraflores, Portugal. This was the company's first expansion outside of the United Kingdom.[12]
References
External links
https://www.criterioncapital.co.uk/