Canadian broker enters Europe with NAI Haywards purchase

Avison Young, a Canadian commercial real estate services firm, has entered the European property sector with the purchase of smaller peer NAI Haywards.

As part of the deal, Avison Young will have two offices in the UK and will take over NAI Haywards' 20 employees.

Established in 1992, NAI Haywards is the UK arm of NAI Global, and provides full-service commercial real estate offerings that range from strategic planning and project implementation to acquisitions, dispositions, development and property and facilities management.

Following the deal, effective immediately, Haywards' partners Nick Cook, Tony Oxford, Iain Rackley and Sarah Cook have become principals of Avison Young. Nick Cook also takes the role of managing director of the London and Thames Valley offices and will be responsible for growing a full-service commercial real estate platform in London through recruitment and acquisition. He will also manage the day-to-day operations of the London-area offices and lead expansion efforts in London and the rest of the UK.

Oxford will also be responsible for project management and building consultancy, Rackley will oversee real estate, and Sarah Cook will serve as Vice-President of Finance in London.

Over the past five years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 56 offices in 45 markets and from 300 to more than 1,500 real estate professionals across Canada and the US.

'Our firm’s strategy has always been to use London and the UK as a major launch pad into Europe, and to service assignments emanating from North America. But we wanted to ensure that we found the right people, the right location and, ultimately, the right fit so that we could provide a full range of offerings and the highest level of commercial real estate brokerage, advisory and property management services to clients from the outset,” commented Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young.