Savills UK has today (12 August 2016) announced the acquisition of property consultancy GBR Phoenix Beard Holdings Ltd. The combination of Savills and GBR Phoenix Beard will create a leading advisory firm in Birmingham, with a particularly strong position and client offering in property management, agency, building surveying and investment.
With a reputation for providing high quality consultancy, property management, agency and transactional services, GBR Phoenix Beard is an independent, owner-managed business which operates nationally from offices in Birmingham, London and Leeds. Its specialist teams cover commercial property management, office and industrial agency, investment, residential management, building consultancy, lease consultancy, rating, and health and safety services.
The firm manages properties across the UK on behalf of retained clients including Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Standard Life Investments, Calthorpe Estates, Wesleyan and Scarborough Group, whilst the award-winning office agency team acts for a diverse base of clients such as M&G, Ballymore, CEG, Bruntwood, L&G and Ediston.
The practice employs 205 people, who will all join Savills with immediate effect, and is led by Managing Director, Simon Farrant, alongside Head of Property Management, Catherine Gabriel and Head of Agency, Stephen Benson.
Mark Ridley, CEO of Savills UK and Europe, comments: “This acquisition is a unique opportunity to further strengthen our national multi-sector offer providing high quality staff and a first class client base with a strong level of recurring income.”
Simon Farrant, Managing Director at GBR Phoenix Beard, adds: “We are genuinely thrilled to be joining Savills, which reflects the high esteem in which our business and our team are held. Savills full-service business, global presence and highly developed infrastructure bring significant opportunities for staff and clients alike. This is a pivotal moment in GBR Phoenix Beard’s fifty year history and we are excited by the compelling proposition offered to our longstanding clients.”
Barry Allen, Head of Savills Birmingham, says: “Savills has an established reputation on both a national and regional platform and this acquisition will further strengthen both positions. The combination of the two businesses and our existing market relationships and expertise will create an impressive force in the market. I am very much looking forward to working with the GBR Phoenix Beard team to drive our already strong presence in Birmingham and the wider Midlands area to a new level.”
Savills Birmingham was established in 1998 and offers a full spectrum of services including: development; planning; urban design & masterplanning; office and industrial agency; investment; building consultancy; rating; strategic asset management; lease consultancy; commercial property management; management set-up; valuation and housing and healthcare.
Savills and the GBR Phoenix Beard Birmingham teams will relocate to a new combined office in due course, while the GBR Phoenix Beard teams in London and Leeds will move into Savills existing offices at Margaret Street and City Point.
