JLL may have emerged as the biggest broker in Europe in 2013, but CBRE bypassed it in terms of the largest transaction on which it advised last year.

JLL may have emerged as the biggest broker in Europe in 2013, but CBRE bypassed it in terms of the largest transaction on which it advised last year.

CBRE topped the list in value terms after acting as adviser on the sales process of Chiswick Park in London. The office complex was sold by US private equity giant Blackstone to China Investment Corporation for around £780 mln (€940 mln) in one of the UK’s largest single-asset deals in the past five years.

All in all, the UK once again dominated our overview of the biggest transactions per agent last year, accounting for no less than six of the top 10 deals. Indeed, nine of the 10 brokers featured in our European ranking were active in the UK market, with the notable exception of Newsec which focuses exclusively on the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Three of CBRE’s top five deals were located in the UK, while JLL nabbed two of the biggest transactions in Russia last year – Metropolis shopping centre in Moscow and the White Gardens office complex. Cushman & Wakefield and Colliers International are also active in Russia, but total volumes on which they advised was a fraction – around 2% - of JLL’s total for the country.

Cushman & Wakefield ceded its leading position in retail to both of its bigger competitors last year, but retail remained a core business, accounting for four of its five top deals last year. Swedish property adviser Catella had the most balanced overview of top five deals in 2013 thanks to its partnership with London-based Strutt & Parker. Two of its five top transactions were in the UK, alongside Sweden, France and Germany.

The full report is available to subscribers in the May issue of PropertyEU Magazine.