A leading figure in the Midlands property industry has taken up a new role.
David Allen, a property investment expert, has joined Shortland Penn + Moore as a director after more than 10 years with BNP Paribas Real Estate.
The appointment of Allen also coincides with an expansion of Shortland Penn + Moore’s offices on Colmore Row in Birmingham, which are set to more than double in size.
Allen will work alongside SP+M director Jonathan Moore in Birmingham and operate across the whole region.
Allen, who has also worked for DTZ, Phoenix Beard and Drivers Jonas in Birmingham, said: “Shortland Penn + Moore established its Birmingham office earlier in the year and is making great strides.
“It has built from a strong base in Coventry and expanded in recent times.
“Jonathan has a very high reputation in the industry and is highly regarded in property investment.
“This is a strategic expansion into Birmingham and I am very much looking forward to building the presence of Shortland Penn + Moore across the Midlands.
“I have considerable experience in helping to establish successful offices in the city and then expanding the companies involved.
“To be doing it with a young and dynamic company is a really exciting prospect.”
Allen, who has been a member of the Midlands Investment Property Forum Regional Board for more than five years, joined Fuller Peiser in 2001 before its purchase by BNP Paribas-owned Atis Real. He was director of investment for the French firm.
He advised Pirelli UK Tyre to negotiate the purchase and sale by way of forward funding of its 365,000 sq ft National Distribution Centre in Staffordshire to Clerical Medical for £23 million, and acted for Liverpool Victoria Asset Management in the acquisition of three industrial estates totalling in excess of £25 million and sales of £22 million including Tradeteam unit at Hams Hall.
He also advised Portway Investments on creating a £10m portfolio, and has worked extensively in the Coventry area for a variety of clients including the city council.
Jonathan Moore, director of Shortland Penn + Moore, said the appointment of Allen was a key move in the company’s planned growth.
“We have grown well since establishing our operation in Birmingham, and David’s arrival will help us consolidate that growth and allow us to keep expanding,” he said.
“He has a quite outstanding record both in general commercial property work but especially in investment.
“That experience and his fantastic range of contacts will be a real asset to us as we push forward in the coming months.”
SP+M grew from Shortland Horne, a general property practice founded in Coventry by David Shortland, one of the region’s best known names in property services, in 1995.
Managing director David Penn joined from Countrywide in 1998 to set-up the commercial division and is the firm’s managing director.
It was established as a separate entity in 2000 before rebranding as Shortland Penn + Moore last year.