Christie + Co hires Williams
Christie + Co has hired Lloyds Banking Group’s Barrie Williams as head of hotels. Williams was a director in the hotels sector at Lloyds, and previous to that was a banker at Midland Bank, BHF Bank and Abbey National, specialising in mid- to high-value and structured transactions across a variety of asset classes. He succeeds Christie + Co’s, Jeremy Hill, who died in March.
Colliers splits from parent
Colliers International Group has completed its split from parent company FirstService Corporation. The agent, whose revenues grew from $200m (£131.4m) in 2004 to $1.6bn under FirstService’s control, is now listed independently on NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Sterling plans Brum tower
A joint venture between Sterling Property Ventures and Rockspring has submitted plans to build Birmingham’s tallest tower at 103 Colmore Row. The jv is seeking consent to demolish the empty NatWest Tower and build a £60m, 26-storey skyscraper in its place at the junction of Colmore Row and Newhall Street.
Rothery leaves Deloitte
Deloitte Real Estate head Andy Rothery is leaving the firm after 27 years to launch a pan-European investment vehicle for large Asian institutional investors. The new venture will target big-ticket assets in recovering markets, and could invest more than £1bn annually over the next five years.
Secondary office rents leap
Pent-up demand for office space has driven secondary rents up by 8% in the year to March. Key locations in the South East such as Wimbledon, SW19, and Reading, Berkshire, saw secondary rents leap by more than 30%, according to research by Colliers International.
