Nottingham-based chartered surveyors Musson Liggins are celebrating 30 years in the business this month. The firm was established in 1987 by Stephen Musson and Matthew Liggins, at the tender ages of 28 and 27 respectively.
Since the introduction of Matthew Wade as Director in 2016, the firm has substantially increased its market share in agency matters and has increased turnover by approximately 25% on the previous year.
During 2016 the company carried out a major overhaul of their branding with Mr Wade’s arrival described as the “catalyst” for the production of a new logo, website and promotional materials. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the firm they even sent their first ‘Tweet’ which read “To celebrate 30 years of Musson Liggins we are debuting on Twitter! Follow us for new properties, updates and insights”
Projects during 2016 have included handling the sale of the P&J Hotel, in Derby Road, Lenton and providing lending valuations for a number of sporting venues in the East Midlands and surrounding areas. The firm has also been involved with the ongoing valuations for a brand new, multi-million pound rehabilitation centre which will treat adults following stroke, spinal, brain, orthopaedic and other complex trauma injuries in Sheffield which is due to complete in March 2017. The firm was also involved in the letting of the popular Curious Tavern in Hockley.
The firm was originally based in Long Eaton before moving to Beeston and then into Wellington Circus, Nottingham in 1997. The Company now has seven support staff and five Equity Directors, including Graham Parkinson, Matthew Wade and David Bladen. The firm are general practice surveyors acting for corporate and private clients but specialises in commercial property.
In the early days, Stephen Musson and Matthew Liggins employed a single secretary and spent a great deal of time arranging meetings with commercial bank managers and with commercial companies in order to attempt to build a business base and they were fortunate in securing instructions from Asphaltic Building Supplies to help them with the reorganisation of their national depots and of a Sheffield based company known as Industrial Fasteners who had a similar but more local property requirement.
At the same time, through involvement with a number of healthcare operators who required property advice, their expertise grew steadily in the healthcare sector in particular as operators became aware of the need to improve property in compliance with ever-changing legislation.
An involvement with United Health, now a large plc healthcare operator, led to further instructions in and around the Midlands and the business gradually grew establishing its reputation for providing what at the time was a new style of property advice combining valuation and consultancy for clients in order to maximise the function and efficiency of their properties.
Steve Musson recollects “The firm’s first invoice at £50 + VAT was sent on the 5th February 1987 to a Mr Green who required a rental valuation of his Doctors Surgery in Woodthorpe. I valued the market rent at £7,500 per annum and I remember that the invoice was paid immediately.”
“A notable feature of the firm was and is the quality of its employees, many of whom have remained for a good number of years as the business grew and continues to grow.”
Much of its work to date has been valuations for high street banks and specialist lenders and the firm provides over 500 valuations a year to High Street Banks and Secondary Lenders, all with a team of less than a dozen operating out of a small City Centre office.
David Bladen explains: “We’re a small business but what we do and the services we provide competes with the small, medium and PLCs within the East Midlands.
“Over the past 10 to 15 years a lot of our work has been providing valuations to facilitate borrowing or purchasing a property. We are now seeing a lot of existing and new clients approach us for a wider range of services which is extremely encouraging”
“There aren’t many privately-owned firms that have been in Nottingham supporting the East Midlands for nearly 30 years and by increasing our market share and turnover we are looking to secure another 30 years of Musson Liggins.”
Steve Musson concludes: “We fall under the radar and punch above our weight.
“For the last 30 years we’ve been quietly going about our business but we think there’s an opportunity here to expand what we do and don’t want to go quietly about business anymore.”
