East of England – Regional Property Adviser of the Year
Entries:
SAVILLS
Savills commercial agency team operates from four offices in the East of England, specialising in the office, R&D, industrial and retail sectors. We have been involved in high profile instructions across the region and negotiated more than 180 deals in 2010. Our strength lies not only in the breadth of expertise within this team, however, but also in the cross-fertilisation of market intelligence and ideas from our colleagues working in the commercial professional sector.
Led by Rob Sadler, who has taken charge of the commercial business in the East after successfully heading up the agency business in Cambridge, the Savills team is the only national agency to offer full regional office coverage. This national/local combination benefits our clients by providing a detailed knowledge of specific market conditions within the context of UK trends – especially pertinent in a difficult economy. In 2011, this powerful advantage has been strengthened by the restructuring of the company along divisional lines, concentrating expertise in an ever more focused way.
Our clients’ verdict:
“We have an excellent relationship with the team at Savills – they produce results and act in a way that is both well-informed and decisive.”
Marc Cowley, Associate Director, CB Richard Ellis Investors
“With Savills you know you are getting not just local expertise but knowledge that’s backed by a hugely successful team.”
Simon Jenkins, Senior Vice President Development, UK, ProLogis
“I’ve found Savills Peterborough Office to be dynamic, determined and above all successful, in what has been a very challenging market over the past few years.”
Joe Curlett, Senior Asset Manager, Highcross
“Savills demonstrates not just a thorough understanding of the complexities of the marketplace, but goes beyond this to provide a successful service with real insight.”
Mark Beckham, LaSalle Investment Management
Penn Commercial
MD, Vanessa Penn, set up Penn Commercial in January 2008. She carried out a management buyout when Douglas Duff (part of Erinaceous) left Ipswich.
She saw an opportunity to provide a personalised, caring, attentive, objective service at a time when, she believes, her competitors often delegate and reporting procedures are poor. Penn takes a hands-on approach to customer contact.
Recognising the importance of branding and presentation, Penn employs low-cost, high impact marketing and IT strategies to provide a services that clients expect only from a larger agency.
For example:
• Strongly branded advertising/marketing
• Regular press releases/briefings to local/regional journalists
• Meetings/briefings/mailings to key national magazines
• Regular, professionally produced newsletters, leaflets and brochures targeting local and national companies
• Innovative website, developed in-house, with unique searchability facility and web reporting
• Innovative CRM database system, developed in house, for tracking enquiries and targeting prospects
• A recent move to attractive spacious offices at Fox’s Marina in Ipswich
• Additional consultants brought in to widen range of services offered to include:
Maintains a high profile:
• Industry spokesperson in regional media
• Consultant to Choose Suffolk and Ipswich Central
• Local sponsorships
• “Talking up” Ipswich in the face of negative perceptions
Achievements
• Despite size, Estates Gazette’s 7th most active agent (East of England) 2010
• 1st year 50 transactions, 2nd year 55, 3rd year 65
• Let 400,000sq.ft. in 2010 (1million in three years).
• Working with key sites/professionals representing The Link, Regatta Quay, Harris and Quantum Business Parks (Ipswich), New Lion Barn (Needham Market) Haven Exchange (Felixstowe) others in Hadleigh, Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds
• Reflects the interests of the community and economy – shipping/warehousing/logistics, insurance, retail, office developments. From sole traders to property fund and estates departments, private and public sectors and international clients.
Jeffersons Commercial
“As a dedicated Agency Practice Jeffersons has, since inception in 2005, been at the forefront of commercial activity in East Anglia and north Kent. Jeffersons comprises of 2 Partners, Will Mooney and Ben Oughton and 4 staff. The Partners have collectively got 50 years of experience in the region. Jeffersons services cover the acquisition and disposal of all types of commercial property along with investment and development work but are particularly strong in the office, R&D/Laboratory, Leisure/retail and hotel sectors of the market. Jeffersons are the Outsourced Development Managers for Travelodge, throughout East Anglia, Essex and north Kent and have just secured 2 major hotel sites in Cambridge for 357 bedrooms, in addition to 7 other hotel deals already completed with 6 more in the pipeline. Jeffersons also act for many major companies, two such examples being The Crown Estate on Cambridge Business Park and MEPC on Granta Science Park.
Jeffersons are known for punching above their weight and have been the EG Regional Award winners in 2008 and 2009 and were runners up in 2010 and 5th in 2011 (when the structure of the award system was changed) and 2nd in the EG Cambridge Agents League table published 18th September 2010, beating Savills into 3rd. Locally, in the annual New Year’s Honours list of Business Weekly, Jeffersons has been voted No.1 by regional businesses and SMEs 4 times out of the last 6 years and never out of the top 3.
In a competitive business environment filled with faceless corporate competitors, it is the experience, enthusiasm and high standards of work and advise that make Jeffersons stand out from the norm and stay consistently high in the competitor league tables. Our client roster, plaudits and awards from our peers and respected property press are all testament to this. “
Barker Storey Matthews
Barker Storey Matthews was founded in 1990 and is a regional practice solely concentrating on commercial property within the East Anglia region. The firm, with its roots going back to the late 1800’s is particularly strong in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk with offices in Peterborough, Huntingdon, Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds.
The business has established itself as a regional market leader providing a full range of commercial agency services, development and investment funding advice together with town planning services and property management. Its main strengths are its in depth local knowledge and retention of key personnel who have established contacts throughout the profession and industry offering clients undoubted experience at a local level without the need to rely on third party information.
Barker Storey Matthews client base is diverse, including local, regional and national property companies and institutions as well as individuals. Major clients include AXA REIM, Standard Life, Threadneedle, Land Securities, Aviva, Frogmore, RREEF Asset Management, PRUPIM, Dencora and VALAD as well as many local authorities within the region and major banks.
Our key highlights in 2010 include transacting in excess of 1.8m sq ft of industrial and warehouse accommodation together with the acquisition of a number of investment properties including Peterborough Business Park. The firm also recently signed up the first major warehouse pre-letting in the area for several years of 100,000 sq ft to Fortnum & Mason.
With the improving occupational take up of existing and pre-let developments BSM are targeting strategic landholdings for its clients to take advantage of the upturn when it eventually arrives.
In the last 10 years Barker Storey Matthews have won the Egi most active agent as many as 8 times, including the last 2 years. Also in 2010 the firm was voted East of England Property Adviser of the Year despite competition from larger national practices.
Bidwells
Bidwells is the UK’s leading regional property consultancy. The Firm provides a full range of services across the commercial, residential and rural sectors, combining a deep understanding of the strategic objectives of clients with the resources to deliver them.
This is demonstrated through some of our projects:
Microsoft: acting on behalf of Brookgate, Bidwells has forward sold and secured development finance for Microsoft’s new £38 million European Research Centre at the cb1 scheme in central Cambridge. The scheme is Cambridge’s first new office development for over 20 years and comprises 78,000 sq ft of grade A offices pre let to Microsoft on a new 20 year lease at £29.50 per sq ft – a ground breaking rent for Cambridge.
Anglia Ruskin University: Bidwells has concluded a major £40 million funding deal with La Salle Investment Management for the development of student accommodation for Anglia Ruskin University at cb1. The three student buildings will total 140,000 sq ft and provide 511 en-suite bedrooms in 112 studios and 399 apartments. In addition there will be 8,859 sq ft of retail space.
We share our market knowledge through regular research publications. This ensures the best information is available to improve the quality of our advice and to help clients make better informed decisions.
Bidwells is dedicated to forming strong relationships with clients, delivering to them the best and most comprehensive service possible.
Testimonial from Mazars, Europe’s largest accountancy:
“We appointed Bidwells to assist us with the fit-out of our proposed new offices in The Pinnacle. Throughout the project, and in all aspects (design, contractor selection, project management, financial management) communication levels were superb. A ‘team’ environment very quickly evolved between us (the client), the Bidwells team (as our advisors and designers) and Paragon Interiors Group Plc (the prime contractor). I cannot emphasise enough how much that ‘team work’ mentality benefited the project.
The end result speaks for itself. We have had no end of comments which begin with “Wow .. .” from our staff, clients and visitors alike. One of our clients commented in correspondence “If Carlsberg were to do offices they would look like this!””
Cheffins
Why Cheffins Should Win Property Advisor of the Year East Anglia/Cambridgeshire
Punching above our weight
Our key achievement has been the sheer number of agency deals for the size of team. We completed 98 lettings and sales in 2010 between three agency surveyors. Amongst the eight agency practices in Cambridge this was second only to Bidwells, who completed 139 deals but with a team of around 10 agency surveyors. This achievement is demonstrated by the attached Deals League Table using EGi data.
Adapting to a Difficult Market
We have adapted to tough market conditions by targeting insolvency and administration
disposals. We have successfully dealt with some major instructions including the sale of a 17,000 sq ft industrial and office premises in Orwell, Cambs, a 6,000 sq ft office near
Newmarket (auction sale) and a 5,000 sq ft industrial sale in March, Cambs. We have acted for all the major insolvency practices in the area.
We have also developed our Corporate Property Advice Service. Recent instructions include strategic property advice on behalf of Whiting & Partners, a regional firm of accounts on their portfolio of eight properties providing a full range of advice on lease renewals, rent reviews,dilapidations and acquisitions.
Unique Property Auction Service
Another recent addition to our range of services is our very successful Cambridge Property Auction. We are the only firm of surveyors offering a property auction in the mid Anglia region. During 2010 we held five auctions with a total sales value of over £10 million, including £3 million of commercial property.
Recruiting to Ensure Quality of Service and Success
We have expanded in 2010 with two significant appointments. These include Alison Coulson as Senior Management Surveyor to assist with our growing management portfolio. Also, Own Pike joins as Senior Planner to grow this important part of the business. These appointments have ensured that we continue to provide a very high quality, client focussed service.
