First Close of Gresham House Forestry Fund LP

RNS Number : 8050N

Gresham House PLC

31 October 2016

Gresham House plc ("Gresham House" or "the Company")

(AIM: GHE)

Gresham House Announces £15 million First Close of Gresham House Forestry Fund LP

Gresham House, the specialist asset manager, is pleased to announce the first close of the Gresham House Forestry Fund LP ("the Fund") with £15.0 million of commitments and finance raised for the strategy from university college endowment funds, family offices and private individuals, including £1.25 million from Gresham House.

Richard Davidson will manage the Fund with support from the Gresham House dedicated forestry team and will target net returns of 10% per annum, which includes an expected annual income distribution of 2% to 4% from timber sales.

The Company is targeting a final close for the Fund in H2 2017 at a size of £50.0 million.

The Fund has now contracted to acquire the portfolio of five forests in the West of Scotland for c. £12.1 million previously referenced in the Company's announcement regarding the launch of the Fund.

The Fund's limited partnership structure enables UK investors to benefit from the significant incentives associated with direct ownership of UK commercial forests.

Rupert Robinson, Managing Director of Gresham House Asset Management, said:

"We are pleased to launch the Fund and encouraged by the increasing level of interest from investors. Forestry as an alternative asset class is growing in popularity amongst institutional and private investors. As investors increase allocations to real assets, timber is being recognised for its compelling investment credentials: it is a physical asset that generates income, gives inflation protection, is lowly correlated to equities and bonds, and importantly, trees grow irrespective of whether financial markets are rising or falling.

Launching the Fund is in line with our strategy to grow assets under management organically. It provides investors with access to a 'green' investment that has significantly outperformed equities, bonds and real estate over the last ten years and enables private individuals to pass on wealth from one generation to another free of inheritance tax."

Enquiries:

Gresham House plc

Rupert Robinson

020 3829 0770

Liberum Capital Ltd

Neil Elliot

Jill Li

020 3100 2000

Montfort Communications, PR Adviser

Gay Collins

Rory King

greshamhouse@montfort.london