Global real estate firm, Colliers International, has acquired Urban Properties, an established boutique advisor in asset management, property management and project management in The Netherlands. Urban Properties will fully integrate into the organization and will rebrand to Colliers International with immediate effect.
Urban Properties is run by three founding partners in Rotterdam; who each have more than 18 years of international property and project management experience, and bring this expertise, as well as 11 employees and their client base to Colliers International. The three founding partners Luc Zenden, René Mol and Danny van der Kruit will become directors at Colliers and lead the Real Estate Management Services team.
Commenting, Chris McLernon, CEO, EMEA at Colliers International said: “This acquisition means that Colliers International will now offer clients including, banks and funds, asset management, property management and project management services. We are experiencing increasing client demand for these professional services in the Netherlands, and acquiring Urban Properties allows us to tap into this growth market”.
“This acquisition is a key aspect of the strategic growth we have planned in the Netherlands and builds on our merger with BHH in 2010; the expansion of our EMEA Corporate Clients department; and opening our office in Rotterdam,” adds Jaap van Rhijn, Colliers International’s CEO in the Netherlands. “It also cements our position as one of only two international real estate advisors in the Netherlands that can offer this complete package of services to clients - asset management, property management and project management; coupled with our existing capital markets and leasing expertise.”
René Mol, the new Partner in charge of Real Estate Management Services at Colliers International in the Netherlands concludes: “Urban Properties has a strong track record, a reputation for exceptional service and an impressive client base; having been named since their instruction 5 years ago, as the constantly at A+/AA level and as such always in the top 3 ranking in Europe of a total of 19 Property and Asset Managers by Credit Suisse Asset Management and delivering the turnkey project management of Hogeschool Rotterdam, for example.
“Joining forces with Colliers International gives us a global platform that can only benefit our clients. Our personalized approach will not change, but now we will have access to unparalleled global expertise across all real estate sectors via Colliers’ 13,500 professionals in more than 482 offices in 62 countries.”
This is the next step in Colliers International’s expansion in EMEA and follows consolidation of the business in Germany; and office openings in South Africa and Israel.
Source: Colliers International
