Avison Young completes acquisition of U.K.-based GVA; two companies combine under Avison Young name and brand

Avison Young completes acquisition of U.K.-based GVA; two companies combine under Avison Young name and brand February 8, 2019

We couldn’t have been more excited to announce last Friday the completion of our acquisition of GVA – one of the U.K.'s leading and most diverse real estate advisory-led businesses.Even more exciting is that our two companies have now combined under one unified brand – Avison Young.

This acquisition represents another milestone in our global expansion strategy, and the combination better positions us to serve our clients across the world. As a result of the transaction, we are now 5,000 strong in 120 offices in 20 countries around the world, and the only privately held, Principal-owned, global, full-service commercial real estate services firm. The combination also establishes Avison Young among the top five commercial real estate advisory businesses in the U.K.

In GVA, we’ve added a like-minded U.K. real estate leader – a company that brings a partnership culture formed during more than 200 years in business. By combining our two complementary businesses, we increase our scale and presence, expand our global talent pool and reach, and enhance the breadth and balance of our services. Most importantly, the combination increases the resources that we can invest in innovation to keep our clients ahead of the curve.

In the U.K. alone, Avison Young now has 18 offices and 1,600 employees, working with clients on the transaction and consultancy sides of the business.

GVA brings to Avison Young a broad portfolio of national and international clients, including U.K. public institutions, multinational corporations, major space users, developers, owners, lenders and investors. Furthermore, the scale and depth of GVA’s offering is evidenced by the firm’s services organized around a client’s lifecycle of real estate: planning and development; project management and building consultancy; transactions; property management services; valuation and business rates.

This is a very exciting and memorable time in the history of Avison Young, and we look forward to working with our new clients, colleagues and partners around the world.

Read the full press release.

(Mark E. Rose is Chair and CEO of Avison Young)