Former Cushman & Wakefield retail partner Brian East has passed away at the age of 66.
East entered the property industry in 1971, when he joined Healey & Baker, specialising in high street shop agency. He became a salaried partner in 1982 and five years later was made an equity partner, particularly responsible for the firm’s relationship with Tesco and Next. He continued with the firm following Healey & Baker’s merger with Cushman & Wakefield in 1998, retiring in 2004.
Toby Comerford, an international partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s retail team who worked closely with him, said: “Brian was a highly successful, straight-talking retail agent who embodied the widely used Healey & Baker slogan ‘Tops for Shops’.
“It was impossible to work with Brian and not feel the force of his personality and his unique ways of working and he was respected across the retail world.
“Brian’s ‘tough but fair’ approach to crafting our paths through this people business moulded our client-first outlook. One invaluable tip that rings true, even in the age of Google Maps, was his insistence that we drew from memory the Goad map of a town or city before leaving it – priceless advice.
“Brian never forgot his far-flung trainees, who readily became friends. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him in the retail property world.”
Outside the real estate industry, East’s passion was sport. A talented cricketer in his school days, he was an MCC member whose love for the game was reflected in the location of his London flat overlooking Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Living first at Lord’s View, when the Mound Stand was rebuilt obscuring his “square leg” view of the ground, he moved to Century Court, where the stunning “long on” view of the ground was the backdrop to many test match and one-day international parties – including England’s triumphant win in this year’s World Cup final.
He and his brother John also served as joint presidents of Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club for almost 20 years.
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