Commercial Real Estate Direct Staff Report

Hampshire Cos. has raised $450 million of equity for its latest investment fund.

Hampshire Partners Fund VIII is a follow-up to Hampshire's Fund VII, a value-add vehicle that raised $350 million in 2007 for investment in industrial, retail and suburban office properties in high growth areas primarily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Executives at Hampshire, which is headquartered in Morristown, N.J., would not comment on Fund VIII.

The company, through various investment vehicles, owns 20 million square feet of office, industrial and retail properties in 28 states. The California Public Employees' Retirement System and the Penn State Investment Council are among the investors in its earlier funds.

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