Affine has divested EUR 26 mln worth of property in France as part of its strategy to dispose of non-strategic assets. The French real estate investment trust, or SIIC, sold six 'mature' office buildings located in Avignon, Bailly, Nantes, Sèvres, Paris and Sophia Antipolis. This brings the group's total sales for 2009 to EUR 164 mln.

'The dynamic disposal policy continued, with the group significantly exceeding its objective for the year', the company said in a press release. Recently, Affine also acquired the 7 Collines shopping centre in Nîmes for EUR 36.3 mln, while the group's Belgian arm, Banimmo snapped up the Marché Saint-Germain shopping centre in Paris for nearly EUR 30 mln.

Additionally, Affine said that it has leased around 42,000 m2 of commercial space over the last three months of 2009, including 30,000 m2 of logistics space in Saint Cyr en Val under a six-year fixed term. 'The last few months of 2009 were exceptionally busy for the Affine Group,' the company added.

Affine Group is structured around three property companies: Affine, a French investor with EUR 624 mln worth of property in the country; Banimmo, Affine's subsidiary with activities in Belgium, France and Luxembourg and AffiParis, Affine's unit specialised in commercial property within the French capital.