Property firm Ryden goes for growth in England with Manchester base

Property consultancy Ryden has signalled its intention to further expand south of the Border after opening a new base in Manchester.

Ryden plan to expand further. Picture: Contributed

The move follows the Edinburgh-headquartered firm’s launch of a London office at the tail end of last year through a merger with asset manager and property investment specialist Mason Philips. In 2015, Ryden also boosted its long established presence in Leeds by tieing the knot with asset management firm Hill Woolhouse.

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.”

He added: “We have already completed £12 million of investment purchases for clients in the Yorkshire area in the first quarter 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.”

The expansion in London and Manchester is expected to increase the firm’s English investment activity five-fold over the next two years and its overall business south of the Border by in excess of 30 per cent in the next five years.

The Manchester office will be led by Andrew Richardson who joins from Capita where he was head of the northern development and investment team.

Richardson is described as a “well-known investment agent in the north west” whose experience includes the purchase of the one million square foot J7 Business Park Accrington and the acquisition and sale of more than 30 commercial property investments in Manchester city centre, including landmark buildings such as Sunlight House and the Manchester Arena.

Richardson said: “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 [of England] complements Ryden’s well established presence in the north east and growing office in London.”

Ryden is one the largest independent firm of commercial property consultants headquartered in Scotland with seven offices, 35 partners and some 110 staff. It produces a twice-yearly property report that is seen as a trusted benchmark of sector activity.