Dutch Corio sells French properties for $137 mln

AMSTERDAM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Dutch property group Corio said late on Sunday it had sold two properties at about their book value in France for a combined 97.9 million euros ($137.5 million) as part of its focus on high growth retail shopping centres.

Corio said it sold the Bordeaux Megastore for 67.3 million euros to focus on shopping centres with more growth potential and an office in Rueil Malmaison for 30.6 million euros as part of its office and industrial portfolio disposal plan.

The Dutch property group, which competes with French-Dutch group Unibail-Rodamco and France's Klepierre , said it sold the Bordeaux Megastore to Westinvest InterSelect, a subsidiary of the DekaBank Group.

The net theoretical yield at the time of the disposal was slightly under 6 percent.

It also sold the Freres Peugeot Office building in Rueil Malmaison to Citadel. The net theoretical yield at the time of the disposal was around 8 percent, Corio added.

(Reporting by Aaron Gray-Block; Editing by Mike Nesbit) ($1=.7122 euros) Keywords: CORIO/ ([e-mail]; [phone]; Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.