Lambert Smith Hampton’s battered Manchester office faces a fresh onslaught from a rival firm founded by six former LSH directors who defected in June.
Equity partnership WHR Property Consultants was launched this week by LSH’s former office boss and head of investment Mark Williams, head of offices Michael Hawkins, head of industrial Simon Hampson, industrial director Mike Rooney, head of rating Gareth Buckley and head of building surveying Dominic Horridge.
The firm will start with a complement of 14 including support staff, many also from LSH. It expects to grow to around 20 staff with a turnover of more than £3m. It will not cover all areas, and will not be recruiting a retail team. Every fee-earner has been given equity in the business.
The new firm has already attracted high-profile clients including MEPC (Birchwood Park, Warrington), Hermes (Towers business park), Peel Holdings (Salford Quays Point), Stonemartin, CIS and Bruntwood’s Piccadilly Plaza.
“Our competitors will be the larger international consultancies and the smaller niche firms. Major clients are performance- rather than cost-driven. Our approach will be about partnerships with clients,” Hawkins said.
This week, LSH said Andrew Delaney – who joined DTZ Pieda Consulting a year ago – was returning to head urban regeneration consultancy, a post vacated by Bruce Owen, who left in July to join Donaldsons.
Delaney’s appointment follows hard on the heels of other senior appointments at LSH’s Manchester office, including Simon Mitchell, head of development, and Gareth Middleton, head of industrial.
Peter Skelton, national agency director and head of LSH Manchester, said: “In the past three months we have been pleased to find some high-quality replacements. All the new blood is from other firms, bringing new clients and ideas.”
● Noel Roper, previously chairman of LSH Nottingham, has joined Fisher Hargreaves as managing partner. His appointment coincides with founding partner Brian Fisher’s retirement.
