Occupier Advisory Proper advice for your property needs
Are your business and property strategies aligned? It’s easy to overlook the important part property plays in the growth and success of a company. Many companies never think to align their property strategy with their business strategy which can seriously inhibit growth, especially where there is not a full internal estates team in place. This is where our Occupier Advisory team can really help to turn your property portfolio into a true asset and remove any form of ‘obstruction’. Our approach to giving property advice is to start by asking ‘Why?’ in relation to all the key strands of your
business objectives. This holistic way of viewing this important subject means we get to understand why your business is doing what it is doing before we recommend the best ways to fine tune your property strategy.
Once we understand your business goals we will work with you on a dynamic forward plan whether you are looking to move premises, change working practices, improve productivity or benchmark and reduce costs.
HOW WE WORK
We provide each client with a dedicated team offering expertise tailored to your specific property needs. Our focus is to make an invaluable contribution to your business, always embracing the wider commercial perspective and addressing property issues that inhibit corporate growth, affect recruitment and retention of staff, reduce profit or impact on value.
A SELECTION OF OUR CLIENTS AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategy
Advice
Delivery
In relation to:
In relation to:
Including:
• Board Direction
• Workplace Analysis
• Acquisition and Disposal
• Recruitment & Retention
• Cashflow /P&L Analysis
• Lease Renewals
• IT Strategy
• PMO Planning
• Transaction Management
• Brand Direction
• Due Diligence
• Asset Management
• Future Proofing
• M & E Obsolescence
• Project Management
• Agile Working and Collaboration
• Value for Money
• Business Rates
• M&A Activity
• Sustainability
• Service Charge
• Benchmarking
• Facilities Management • Data Management • Dilapidations
DELIVERY ADVICE Vail Williams supports St. John Ambulance with acquisitions, disposals, valuations, rent reviews, lease renewals and strategic property advice. They work in close partnership with our National Property Team and have been instrumental in successfully delivering our property strategy across the UK.� Andrew Stormont National Property Manager St John Ambulance
WHY
STRATEGY
HOW WHAT
E X I BL E FL
HR
CONSULTATION
AGILE
re Futuofing Pro
RECRUITMENT RETENTION
DATA
Lease
Dilapidations
Accruals
BUILDING SURVEYS
Security
SPACE
Workplace
analysis
PLANNING
Money
Fit for
M&E
Obsolescence
Purpose
FIT OUT
MANAGEMENT
COST
MANAGEMENT
HOW PROJECT
WHAT
PMO
VALUATION
PLANNING
IT
ACQUISITION
CASHFLOW
M&A
activity
ANNUAL REPORT
A AN
S LYSI
Expertise
P+L S
A BR
N
ND
ANALYSIS
LEASE EVENT MANAGEMENT
LOCATIO
BOA DIREC RD
TION
Planning
r
Value fo
BUILDING SURVEYS
Expansion
WHY STRATEGY
advisory
IONAL AT CH
EMPLOYER OF CHOICE
EA
S
BUSINES PLAN
COVERAGE
ER
R
Collaboration
INT
NATIONAL
N
SERVICE CHARGES
us
nabilit y ta i
ASSET
MANAGEMENT
DISPOSAL DUE DILIGENCE
Dil
apidations
Ass
essments
See more case studies at: www.vailwilliams.com/case-studies
CASE STUDIES Confidential (international firm of engineers)
Innovaré Systems Limited
Engineering – Multi Service Delivery
Construction – Strategic Advice (multi-discipline)
Our client sought to consolidate two established offices in Sale and Cheadle, bringing together two aspects of their business, in what was a complex and internally political move. Our Occupier Advisory Team worked together with a number of teams internally to identify existing properties and development opportunities that would house the business by the time its existing property leases expired. Having liaised with the client in the UK and USA, it transpired that both aspects of the business would need to remain separate. Additional searches were carried out and two appropriate buildings were found. Our lease advisory experts negotiated and agreed favourable terms whilst the building consultancy team advised on dilapidations and project managed fit out and associated costs.
Leading construction business, Geoffrey Osborne Limited, appointed Vail Williams to relocate one of its subsidiaries, Innovaré, to new, larger premises. The aim was to source an appropriate property within tight timescales to allow Innovaré to grow its business, whilst simultaneously advising them on their exit from the existing premises.
Outcome: Drawing upon our multi-disciplinary team, the client was able to successfully move over 1,500 people to two larger, more modern properties, where staff were delighted with the end result. We continued to advise on the vacated premises and settled dilapidations on all three properties. By collaborating with the client and their advisers we exceeded our client’s expectations both here and in the USA.
Faced with an impending lease expiry, our Occupier Advisory division quickly put together a project team drawing upon expertise from across our Planning, Business Space and Building Consultancy disciplines. The team oversaw the delivery of the project and ensured that the client was communicated with at all steps throughout the process, allowing them to make business decisions in a timely manner. Not only did we provide strategic and financial advice relating to the property move, as well as potential dilapidations liabilities and how to mitigate these, our team also provided ancillary advice which resulted in the client securing ERDF funding to further grow their business.
Outcome: Expert knowledge of the area allowed us to source and secure the right property within tight timescales in a competitive market of high demand and low supply. Additional dilapidations advice helped the client to extricate themselves from their existing lease in the most cost-effective way possible.
See more case studies at: www.vailwilliams.com/case-studies
CASE STUDIES Covea Insurance
Housing Association
General Insurance – Strategic Advice and Acquisition
Housing Association – Consultancy Advice
Covea’s brief was to consolidate multiple offices in Halifax into one high quality office space comprising 75,000 sq ft of space with staff areas and car parking. We narrowed the options down to 3 clear favourites – a new build in the town centre, a new build out of town or the refurbishment of a 19th century listed mill building. The refurbishment option was deemed best by both the client and Vail Williams project team as we were able to purchase a long lease on flexible terms and had the ability to house staff in serviced offices nearby during the works. Refurbishment commenced and was completed 12 months later in conjunction with the inhouse team, our team were involved in all elements of the project including negotiating the lease, specifying the fit out & negotiating the refurbishment costs and re-housing staff during the construction phase.
Our brief followed the merging of three housing associations plus some ‘right sizing’ and reduction of legacy portfolios. This presented the client the opportunity to reduce space from over 80,000 sq ft to less than 40,000 but required advice from our Occupier Advisory team on lease renewals/breaks as well as cultural shifts towards agile working and how new technology should shape their ongoing property needs. Our team embarked on a full audit and benchmarking initiative that included detailed inspections of the premises, occupation and utilisation stats, access to amenity and proximity to key transport nodes. The premises were mapped together with staff home locations and local housing stock details. From this a detailed recommendation of how much office space was required to support agile working in each region. A disposal and relocation programme was then put in place to reduce and ‘right size’ the portfolio.
Outcome: Covea now have a prestigious, fit-for-purpose headquarters building, procured on time and on budget.
Outcome: In line with the client’s objectives we have managed to reduce the overall size of the portfolio by 25,000 sq ft in the first 12 months and anticipate this will reduce by a further 15,000 sq ft by 2020 offering substantial savings.
We have used Vail Williams since 2009 for all our properties. They have consistently provided excellent customer service, timely advice and generated significant savings. We would not hesitate in recommending Vail Williams.”
Our Experience with Vail Williams and their team of Development Consultants has been excellent – a true partnership. It is also really useful that they have equally adept colleagues for other areas like Planning, Building Consultancy, Property Asset Management and Business Space – a truly integrated service.”
Sandra Flannery Head of Property & Facilities UK Sopra Steria
Nicki Becker Property and Facilities Lead UK and Ireland Molson Coors
Our offices: Birmingham
Gatwick
Birmingham Edmund House 12-22 Newhall Street Birmingham B3 3EF T: +44 (0)121 654 1065
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Our services: • • • •
Building Consultancy Business Rates Consultancy Commercial Property Investment Lease Advisory
• • • • • • • •
LPA Receivership Marine and Leisure Occupier Advisory Property Acquisition and Disposal Property Asset Management Property Development Consultancy Property Planning Consultancy Property Valuation
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Visit us: www.vailwilliams.com Vail Williams
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Vail Williams LLP, a Limited Liability Partnership, registered in England (number OC319702). Registered office: 550 Thames Valley Park Drive, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1PT. Any reference to a Partner means a Member of Vail Williams LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications. A full list of Members is open for inspection at the registered office. Regulated by RICS
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