Robert Rae, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company’s Coventry/Midlands, U.K. office, has announced that industrial property development, disposal and acquisition specialist James Swallow has joined Avison Young. He will work out of both the London and Coventry offices.
Effective immediately, Swallow becomes a Principal of Avison Young with a mandate to grow the firm’s industrial property business-line coverage in the Midlands and South East markets. Swallow brings 15 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young, most recently with CBRE in London where he was a director of industrial agency. During his career, he has dealt in the acquisition, disposal and development of major logistics sites and properties for developers, funds and private clients. His expertise in the South East and East Midlands markets encompasses urban logistics and large-scale distribution sites.
“James will play a leading role as we expand our industrial property business-line coverage across the Midlands and South East and recruit top talent to our team,” comments Rae. “His comprehensive market knowledge and long-term, positive business relationships will be of tremendous benefit to clients.”
Swallow has acted for such notable clients as Wrenbridge, Palmer Capital Partners, Legal & General, Goodman, Anglesea Capital, Blackrock and Graftongate. His notable projects include: the leasing of 111,000 square feet (sf) at Graviton Park in Belvedere for Wrenbridge to Amazon; 265,000 sf at London Medway Kent for Anglesea Capital; 125,000 sf in Harlow for Commerz Bank; and 220,000 sf at LEDP Leicester for Blackrock/Graftongate.
“James will make an immediate impression with investors, developers, landlords and tenants as he capitalizes on his high profile and outstanding reputation in the Midlands and South East,” states Jason Sibthorpe, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company’s U.K. region. “His entrepreneurial mindset, engaging personality and collaborative approach to every transaction make him an ideal fit within Avison Young’s culture.”
Prior to joining CBRE in 2014, Swallow spent eight years with JLL (formerly King Sturge LLP), rising to the position of director from surveyor. While at JLL, he was involved in all aspects of industrial property agency and tenant representation and was solely responsible for dealing with most of the industrial disposals, acquisitions and site sales in the northern Home Counties and Essex. Previously, James worked in Northampton serving the East Midlands with Bidwells and Lambert Smith Hampton.
In his new role at Avison Young, Swallow will work closely with Rae and fellow Principals Andrew Jackson and Peter Keir.
“I am very excited to be joining Avison Young and working within the firm’s Principal-led structure,” says Swallow. “It is the perfect environment in which to bring together my skills and contacts to ramp up Avison Young’s rapidly growing industrial property business. I look forward to the new challenge of growing the industrial offering in the Midlands and South East in collaboration with the rest of Avison Young’s impressive team in Europe and North America.”
Over the past eight years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 79 offices and from 300 to more than 2,400 real estate professionals in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe.
Avison Young is the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 79 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family and hospitality properties.