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Bloomberg
Avison Young Canada has bought London-based real estate services firm Wilkinson Williams LLP, its first deal since receiving a $190 million investment by a big Canadian pension fund earlier this month.
Wilkinson Williams represents landlords and tenants across the UK and has acted as an adviser on retail and supermarket leases. Last year, the firm advised clients on investment transactions with a combined value of more than $761 million.
“This acquisition will ensure that we have a market-leading capability in the retail service line, providing us with intelligent insight and market knowledge on a national level,†Avison Young CEO Mark Rose said in a statement. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed.
The move is another step by the Toronto-based commercial brokerage in its push to more than double its size and add C$1 billion of revenue to what is about C$650 million today, Rose said. Rose said Avison Young will continue to focus on
expanding in major European and North American markets, and growth in Asia later on.
In the past 10 years, Avison Young has grown to 84 offices in 75 markets spanning Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe. The company first entered the UK in 2014 after acquiring Haywards LLP.