LONDON (Reuters) - Central London retail property specialist Shaftesbury <SHB.L> has declined to comment on press reports that claim it is planning a share sale to raise funds for an investment spree in Britain's stagnant property market.
The real estate investment trust, which owns large swathes of London's Chinatown and Covent Garden tourist hotspots, said it regularly assessed opportunities to expand its portfolio and ways to finance such growth.
The group's portfolio comprises 301 shops and 163 restaurants, bars and clubs and was valued at 1.14 billion pounds at September 30.
Shaftesbury is one of few listed property firms yet to tap shareholders for funds to buttress balance sheets following one of the sharpest commercial real estate corrections on record.
(Reporting by Sinead Cruise; editing by John Bowker)
(See www.reutersrealestate.com for the global service for real estate professionals from Reuters)