Commercial property consultant Ryden has expanded into Manchester in the next step of a strategy for growth across England. The deal follows the Scotland-headquartered firm’s opening of a London office in December 2016 through a merger with asset managers and property investment specialists Mason Philips.
In 2015 the firm also boosted its long established presence in Leeds by merging with asset management firm Hill Woolhouse.
The new Manchester office will be led by Andrew Richardson who joins from Capita where he was Head of the Northern Development & Investment team. Andrew is a well-known investment agent in the North West whose experience includes the purchase of the 1 million sq ft J7 Business Park Accrington and the acquisition and sale of over 30 commercial property investments in Manchester City Centre, including many landmark buildings such as Sunlight House and the Manchester Arena.
Bill Duguid, Managing Partner of Ryden said: “This new Manchester office reinforces our drive to expand our presence in England. Our aim is to provide clients across the UK with access to the partner-level expert advice we are known for. We have already completed £12m of investment purchases for clients in the Yorkshire area in Q1 of this financial year and currently have over £500m worth of property assets under management in England. London and Manchester are arguably the UK’s most active property markets and represent huge opportunities for Ryden and our clients.”
New Investment Partner in Manchester Andrew Richardson added: “It is a great time to be joining Ryden and becoming part of an investment team with ambitious growth plans across the UK. My experience of commercial property transactions in the North West complements Ryden’s well established presence in the North East and growing office in London.”
The expansion of Ryden in London and Manchester is expected to increase the firm’s English investment activity five-fold over the next two years and the firm’s overall business south of the border by in excess of 30% in the next five years.
