CBRE has moved into a clear lead ahead of its longstanding rival JLL in PropertyEU's latest ranking of the Top Brokers in Europe.

dealmakers handshake with sun coming through window rs 2

Dealmakers Handshake With Sun Coming Through Window Rs 2

According to research by PropertyEU, CBRE captured €56.3 bn of the business in 2015, 22% more than JLL’s total of €46.2 bn. The ranking is based on advising on investments in lot sizes above €20 mln - either on the buy or sell side - out of a total volume for the year of €230 bn. 

Even when deals of less than €20 mln are included, JLL’s full volume of €49 bn remains 18% less than CBRE’s €59.8 bn, data analysed by PropertyEU Research shows. 

The findings are significant as there has not been so much clear water between CBRE and JLL since 2008, when PropertyEU recorded a volume of €53.6 bn for CBRE in terms of real estate investment advisory, and €40 bn for JLL. But in the following six years, the two largest brokers have been shadowing each other, with JLL having the edge from 2012-2014.

Most of Europe’s top cross-border real estate brokers saw their investment transaction advisory volumes grow by 20% or more. Cushman & Wakefield reported 57% growth in volumes to €23.5 bn. The volume was enhanced by three months of figures from DTZ, which completed the merger with C&W in September 2015.

The big leap was enough to see off a challenge for third place from BNP Paribas Real Estate, which booked 29% growth to €17 bn. Savills ranked fifth after seeing 20%-plus growth in volumes from €13 bn to €15.7 bn, while Colliers International, ranked sixth, grew almost 16% from €12 bn to €13.9 bn.

The full report is published in the October edition of PropertyEU Magazine.