International property adviser Savills has won a major award for its investment agency teams at a ceremony held in London. The accolade for Investment Agency Team of the Year 2004 was presented by Property Week â" one of the UKâs leading property trade magazines â" at its tenth annual awards ceremony, the single biggest event in the UK property industry.
It is the second time in two years that Savillsâ investment agency team has won this award, which reflects the strength and breadth of the firmâs investment advice to clients across the UK and mainland Europe.
Property Week judges described Savills as âbetter than anybody [else]â and commented on the high quality of Savillsâ advice and its focus on client needs.
Jeremy Helsby, chairman of Savills commercial, says: "This is a fantastic achievement for our investment teams and further confirms the first-class reputation we have as international investment advisers. We advised on over £6 billion of transactions last year as a result of our diverse capabilities and investment expertise across all market sectors."
Savills advised on some of the biggest investment deals of 2004, including the £1.4 billion forward purchase of Whitecity in London, the UKâs largest urban renewal scheme, on behalf of CGIâs HausInvest Europa fund. This was also the single largest open-ended fund transaction and the largest ever single-asset overseas investment into the UK.
The firm was also at the forefront of innovation when it represented Land Securities in its £700 million asset swap with Slough Estates â" the largest ever successful swap transaction in the UK.
Among recent continental European deals was the â¬14.8 million purchase of the European headquarters of MTV in Berlin on behalf of Canada Life Assurance, its first German acquisition, and the acquisition for German fund manager CGS of Alcalá Parque Retail Park in Seville from Bouygues Immobiliaria. The latter is one of six retail investments, totalling well over â¬200 million, transacted by the Madrid office in 2004.
Source: Savills
