Africa’s new property network
GLOBAL real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has entered into an exclusive affiliate arrangement across sub-Saharan Africa with Excellerate Property Services, a provider of property services in Africa, to offer a comprehensive range of real estate services across the region.
Branded Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate, the new venture will provide an integrated platform serving sub-Saharan Africa from an established network of 32 offices in 11 countries in the region.
These include 22 offices across South Africa and other strategically important locations, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.
Excellerate Property Services operates under brands that include JHI and Excellerate Facility Management, has more than 13000 employees and more than $450 million (R5.98 billion) in transaction volume.
JHI Properties, the retail management division of Excellerate Holdings, entered into a partnership with Liberty Holdings in May last year to establish a new property management services company whose strategy was to grow its retail offering in South Africa and the rest of Africa.
Service lines
John Forrester, the chief executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Cushman & Wakefield, said the affiliation with Excellerate Property Services was a game-changing development for the group in Africa because it extended their delivery of all service lines across the sub-Saharan region via a single provider.
Jonathan Turner, a senior director and the Cushman & Wakefield relationship manager for Africa, said many multinational corporates the company has worked with were already active in Africa or looking to enter a growing market with major opportunities in the telecoms, banking, technology, energy and consumer goods sectors.
“Our global strength, combined with Excellerate Property Services’ in-region expertise, trusted brand and client base creates a market-leading sub-Saharan Africa platform, providing clients with the scale, flexibility and strong corporate governance expected by global corporations.
“Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate also lays the foundation for further growth in Africa by increasing Cushman & Wakefield’s capability to service both international and intra-regional requirements, for occupiers and investors alike,” he said.
Marna van de Walt, the chief executive of Excellerate Property Services, said it was excited about the potential of Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate, which would provide its existing clients with integrated access to a global platform.