Reading: Sharps Commercial celebrates 30 years with prestigious awards

Reading-based property consultancy Sharps Commercial is celebrating 30 years in business, only weeks after bringing home two regional industry awards.

Founded by Antony Sharp in 1988, Sharps is headquartered on Southampton Street, Reading, and works with landlords, occupiers, developers and investors on commercial property projects across the Thames Valley.

Over the years, the team has been behind some of the region’s most memorable property transactions, including the acquisition of Manor Park - a 70,000 sq ft office campus in Reading - for Ultima Business Solutions, and the acquisition of the former Habitat building in Lester Way, Wallingford – a 110,000 sq ft storage and distribution facility – for Precycle Group. More recently, Sharps completed Henley’s largest office deal for many years, letting The Henley Office in its entirety to Regus.

Antony Sharp, director and founder of Sharps Commercial, commented: “The commercial property landscape has changed beyond recognition since 1988. If you consider the impact that advances in technology alone have had on how businesses operate and communicate, it’s not surprising that the demands of property owners, occupiers and developers have evolved to the same degree.”

He added: “Developing or occupying business space – whether it’s an industrial/logistics warehouse or an office – is no longer simply about finding a physical space to work, which was perhaps at the heart of our business 30 years ago. These days it’s as much about understanding, finding and creating flexible and sustainable premises that are a match for a business’ brand and operations, not just now but in the future, too.”

Sharps’ 30^th anniversary celebrations come in the wake of two significant award wins, with the company taking home the Industrial Dealmaker (by number of deals) award in CoStar’s 2018 Reading Dealmaker Awards, and the Thames Valley Industrial/Logistics Consultancy of the Year accolade at the Thames Valley Property Awards.

Alec White, director at Sharps, added: “The economic downturn has arguably been the biggest challenge in Sharps’ lifetime, and the market has seen a lot of commercial property players come and go as a result. To be operating alongside other active firms that have also weathered the storm is no small achievement, and these recent award wins are the icing on the cake for the whole team in our 30^th year.”