Part of London Royal Exchange on sale years after being sold for £50m

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Updated: 20:58 BST, 2 June 2026

The retail arm of London landmark the Royal Exchange has been put up for sale four years after it last changed hands.US owner The Ardent Companies has hired agents to sell the near 51,000sq ft high-end retail and dining space that spans the lower ground, ground floor, mezzanine and terraces, surrounding a historic covered courtyard.Ardent bought the space – the only luxury shopping centre in the City of London – for close to £50 million from Oxford Properties in 2022.It houses luxury brands including Hermes, Tiffany & Co, Boodles, Montblanc, Omega and Georg Jensen.Ardent declined to disclose the sale price.The Royal Exchange has a history dating back more than 450 years.Sir Thomas Gresham, son of wealthy English cloth merchant Richard Gresham. was inspired to build the Exchange when his only son Richard died in a riding accident in 1564 aged 16.Without a male heir, he sought to recreate his legacy in stone. The retail arm of London landmark the Royal Exchange has been put up for sale four years after it last changed hands for nearly £50million The Royal Exchange in London has a history dating back more than 450 years In January 1565, Sir Thomas offered to finance the building of a bourse - or stock exchange - for the City of London.A year later, he personally laid the first foundation stone.It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I, who deemed it the 'Royal Exchange', in 1571.Over the centuries it was twice destroyed by fire – firstly during the Great Fire of London in 1666 – and again during a massive blaze in 1838. The current building was opened by Queen Victoria in 1844. It is where royal proclamations take place in the City of London, including announcements of the death of a monarch and the crowning of a new monarch, such as that of the King in 2022.The site has also been home to both the Lloyds insurance market and the London International Financial Futures Exchange over the years.Under Ardent's ownership, the site saw visitor numbers increase 12 per cent last year and the floor space is now 99 per cent occupied by retail and restaurants and bars.Fortnum's Bar and Restaurant opened a new terrace, alongside bar Engel by renowned restaurateur Des Gunewardena, at the front of the building in spring last year.