Catella alliance with Strutt & Parker seen as bridging London gap

Every time we passed the Catella stand at the MIPIM in Cannes recently in the hope of exchanging a few words with the company’s German management team, we could see that Catella German boss Klaus Franken had his head buried deep in discussion with business partners. Doubtless he was explaining the significance of his company’s recently-announced decision to join with the UK’s Strutt & Parker in an international alliance, designe to provide pan-European transactional and consultancy advice in the office, retail and industrial markets.

For the Swedish Catella Group, as indeed for Strutt & Parker, this is the first such alliance either has entered into, and it takes immediate effect. The UK group, one of the country’s largest privately-owned property partnerships, has 50 offices throughout the UK and employs 750 staff. Catella has established its property and corporate advisory services in 11 countries, including in the UK, and had more than 200 employees, while in German it has 5 offices and about 100 staff.

Catella group CEO Johan Ericsson called the alliance “a strong fit”, which would give Catella’s clients access to commercial property opportunities in London and across the UK, while offering the UK company access to a wider continental European client base. Anders Palmgren, head of corporate finance at Catella, added that “The alliance will provide us with wider access to banks and financial institutions in London, as well as to UK-based investors and those investors using London as a stepping stone for their European activities.”

Catella Germany CEO Klaus Franken commented, “This new alliance will open up lots of new possibilities for the German market, given the number of international capital providers based in London who are looking for investment opportunities in Germany. Lots of German property holdings are in the hands of UK-led investors, who are looking for good partners in refinancing, valuation, optimisation or asset disposals – and this strengthened network will offer more support for our clients.”