Invista Real Estate Investment Management today confirmed that it had been in discussions with a third party regarding a takeover bid for the company.

The company said that talks only ever reached a preliminary stage with regards to an offer and the board has since confirmed that all such discussions have ceased.

Invista came to be in September 2006, having previously been the real estate fund management business of Insight Investment. Invista remains partially owned by the Lloyds Banking Group with share capital of 55 per cent.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange, Invista today said it was no longer in an offer period for the purposes of the City Code on takeovers and mergers.

The asset management firm has six funds, including the Property Income and Foundation Property Investment Trusts in the AIC Property Direct (UK) sectors.

Today’s news comes just four weeks after the board of the ING UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) confirmed it was in preliminary discussions with the board of Rugby REIT to consider a potential offer.

In February ING said these discussions were ‘at any early stage and may or may not lead to a formal offer being made.’