Rival property consultancy snapped up by Savills
SAVILLS has acquired a rival property consultancy GBR Phoenix Beard, which has offices in Leeds, Birmingham and London.
The practice, which employs 205 people in its offices is led. by Simon Farrant alongside head of property management, Catherine Gabriel and head of agency, Stephen Benson. .
Its Leeds and London office staff will be relocated, with Leeds staff relocating to Savills’ offices at City Point.
GBR expanded into the Leeds market in 2015 on acquiring Optic Asset Management, which had eight staff based in the city.
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, said: “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.”
GBR Phoenix Beard covers 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, while the office agency team acts for a diverse base of clients such as M&G, Ballymore, CEG, Bruntwood, L&G and Ediston.
