Property consultancy CBRE’s Bristol office has celebrated 10 years of successful trading in the city – a period in which it has grown from four staff to nearly 40 despite the near market meltdown and the worst recession in living memory.
The office, which started out in an attic in Berkeley Square, is today one of the most influential players in the sector in the region.
Having outgrown its first office five years ago its regional headquarters in now based in Howard House, close to Clifton Triangle.
To mark its 10th anniversary, CBRE recently held a special VIP event with around 200 guests from Bristol's commercial property sector and from across the UK.
The firm’s executive chairman for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Mike Strong, was among those attending the party at the Royal West of England Academy, along with some of the firm’s key clients and customers.
CBRE’s Bristol office started out specialising in agency and professional work but quickly branched out into new fields of expertise such as property management, building surveying and investment services. It has also built up a reputation as a specialist in the top end of the office market in central Bristol, with involvement in some of the city’s biggest Grade A developments, particularly in the emerging business district around Temple Quay.
In addition, the office has a major player in the retail sector, having been heavily involved in the region’s three largest shopping destinations of recent years – Cribbs Causeway, Cabot Circus and Southgate Centre in Bath.
CBRE Bristol managing director of Garry Hicks, who has been based in the office from its launch, said: “We are very proud of everything we have achieved in Bristol over the last decade and we have exciting plans in place for the next 10 years.
“The key to what we do is longevity and continuity, the people we have taken on board as we have expanded have stayed with us throughout the journey. We have a certain way of doing things at CBRE and all our team our committed to that approach.
“Like everyone else we were affected by the recession but we managed to maintain our position in the marketplace. With the economy picking up we will be looking to grow the business over the next couple of years and are hopeful of even more successful times ahead.”
CBRE is the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm with 37,000 employees in more than 300 offices.
Pictured: Founder members of CBRE’s Bristol office at the VIP reception with Michael Strong, the firm's executive chairman for Europe, the Middle East and Africa
