Excel London buys Business Design Centre

Excel London has bought the Business Design Centre, an exhibition centre in Islington, north London. Excel, itself a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s ADNEC Group, completed the deal by acquiring BDCG Holdings Company, which in turn owns the centre. The centre dates back to 1862 and was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall. It now spans a 4.5-acre freehold estate and hosts 130 events annually, including the London Art Fair, HIX and the Surface Design Show.  Jeremy Rees, chief executive of Excel, said: “Since acquiring Excel more than 15 years ago, ADNEC has demonstrated unwavering support for London’s event and business tourism industry. The acquisition of the prestigious BDC further underscores this commitment. We look forward to integrating BDC into the ADNEC ecosystem and will continue to invest significantly to ensure both Excel and BDC offer the highest-quality platforms for the events industry, reinforcing London’s status as a leading global events destination.” Jack Morris, who is retiring as chairman of Business Design Centre, added: “Selling the Business Design Centre, the Morris Family’s flagship business which was founded by my visionary father Sam Morris 40 years ago, was never going to be an easy, emotional decision. But it’s the right time. My brothers and I are not getting any younger and now is the moment to hand over the baton to new proprietors who understand and respect what we have built.”