The newest crop of transactions include last week's $9.5 millionpurchase of 123 Newbury St. and a $7.6 million deal for 160 NewburySt. one block away, with the buyers of both properties each backedby Dublin-based Anglo-Irish Bank. The buyer of 123 Newbury St.,Abbey Road Advisors of Westport, CT, says the thoroughfare carriesa cache recognized in Ireland, one compared to the High Streetretailing area in the UK.

"That's where all the shopping gets done, and that's what theyconsider Newbury Street to be," Abbey Road principal Alan Batesoffers to GlobeSt.com as one of the reasons behind the Irish ardor."There is great traffic and all kinds of (internationally knownretailers), and that builds a lot of confidence in investors." AParis-based perfume shop, Diptyque, is a tenant of 123 Newbury St.,for example. And even as thin as yields have been for New Englandretail, the returns are still ahead of that found in Ireland andEurope as a whole, say observers. The weak dollar is providing anextra level of incentive for securing US real estate, they add.

According to Bates, Abbey Road Advisors has been scouting outdeals on Newbury Street, finally landing 123 Newbury St. thanks toassistance from broker Sam Hawkey. The Dartmouth Co. professional"did a great job for us," says Bates. "We are really happy to havegotten it," he says of the asset, which is located betweenClarendon and Dartmouth Sts. in the pricier end of Newbury St. Thedeal also marks the return of Abbey Road into Boston after a briefdeparture following the sale in March of its lone local property,the nearby 389 Boylston St. office building. Bates says the firm ishoping to secure additional product in Massachusetts.