Brasier Freeth has taken the property adviser title in the new South East category of the Regional Awards. The 40-strong firm has offices throughout the northern home counties, and has a history dating back to 1874, but its current incarnation stems from the merger, three years ago, of Brasier Harris and Freeth Melhuish.
Over the past year the firm has netted around three-quarters of the deals by floorspace in Watford and Hemel Hempstead and, if the testimonials submitted as part of its entry are anything to go by, it has a lot of happy clients.
“It seeks to be regarded as what it calls a corporate butler – with attributes of trust, discretion, tact, loyalty, dedication and judgement,” writes Peter Maguire, director of property and insurance at Compass Group. “Above all else, it has an appreciation of what is important to us, and is totally committed to do whatever is needed to help us achieve our goals.”
Brasier Freeth partner Trevor Church admits that last year was hard graft. He adds that the award is recognition of the firm’s ambition to create a truly regional presence as a business space agency. “Neither firm would have dreamt of getting this award four years ago. It’s a real vote of confidence,” says Church.
He puts the firm’s success down to the staff. “The property industry is a people business and, at the end of the day, we will stand or fall by the quality of the people that we have,” he says.
Brasier Freeth’s ambitions continue this year with its aim to expand the firm’s geographical reach outside the northern home counties towards Heathrow in the west and the Thames Valley in the east.
Property company of the year
Being named property company of the year for the South East is just deserts for developer Wrenbridge. The Palmer Capital-backed company moved into the South East market only two years ago, having established a strong business base and reputation in the Midlands and East of England.
Its approach has been to make acquisitions of £1m-15m with a quick turnaround, adding value, getting tenants in place and then exiting.
Wrenbridge director Jeff Wilson says: “We started focusing on the South East in 2009, and have done quite a few deals now, so feel the award is recognition for what we have achieved.”
Wilson puts the company’s South East success down to flexibility over deal sizes and sectors. “Some property companies have tight restrictions on lot sizes and sectors. We aren’t renowned for retail but we asked ‘which is the most fundable sector?’ and that was retail. Ability to be fleet of foot has worked in our favour over the past year,” he says.
Those retail deals include a building acquisition in Croydon which it forward sold to Lidl, and a retail parade in Byfleet, which it obtained with vacant possession and converted into a store for Budgens, before selling on.
