Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has declined to comment on a media report suggesting it is acquiring a 50% stake in the massive Centro retail scheme near Dusseldorf for EUR 700 mln.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that the manager of the EUR 100 bn Canadian public pension scheme has agreed to purchase the stake from UK property developer Eddie Healey. Healey and CPPIB have declined to confirm the transaction.

CPPIB is one of the key institutional players involved in big ticket real estate deals in Europe. In November 2010, CPPIB teamed up with Dutch pension fund manager APG to acquire a 50% stake in the retail component of Westfield Stratford City at the site of the 2012 London Olympics. The transaction is expected to close in late 2011 and is subject to the project completing and opening.

Also in November 2010, a joint venture of CPPIB and LaSalle Investment Management acquired a regional shopping centre in the city of Hürth, Germany for EUR 157.3 mln. The Hürth Park asset was owned by the open-ended property fund Degi Europe, which is now in liquidation.