South East: Commercial property specialist joins Vail Williams
Property consultancy, Vail Williams LLP, has appointed experienced commercial property specialist Steve Berrett to lead the firm’s agency team in the Gatwick diamond region.
With a property career spanning over 20 years, Berrett is an experienced property adviser who specialises in the marketing, acquisition and disposal of commercial property across West Sussex, from office buildings and development land, to large-scale industrial estates.
A former director of Michael Jones Estate Agents where he was responsible for setting up and growing the firm’s commercial agency department, Berrett brings with him a wealth of expertise, having worked on a range of industrial, office and mixed-use instructions for clients including Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, William Pears Group, Petchey Holdings, Glenmore Group, Erucruit (formerly Bond International) and Caffyns. He is also co-founder of the Sussex Property Alliance, a networking forum for developers, investors, planners and architects.
Speaking of his appointment, Berrett commented: “Vail Williams is a firm that I have admired for some time, and I’m pleased to join the team to lead their commercial property agency work across the Gatwick region – an area I know extremely well, having advised occupiers, landlords, property companies, developers, and local authorities here for many years.”
Danny George, regional managing partner for the Gatwick region at Vail Williams, added: “We are delighted to welcome Steve and his market knowledge to our team as businesses gear up for a return to the office, and industrial footprint requirements increase as a result of Covid-19 and Brexit.
“His appointment complements our existing agency team and will see us extend our commercial agency reach from Gatwick and the surrounding areas down to Brighton and right along the south coast, where we have offices in Portsmouth, Southampton and, most recently, Bournemouth following the acquisition of Cowling & West.”
Berrett added: “It’s a really exciting time to join Vail Williams and I look forward to bringing my knowledge of the regional commercial property market to bear in my new role, as the firm’s office and industrial agency instructions increase throughout the Gatwick diamond region.”
Vail Williams already acts for a range of occupier, landlord and investor clients from its offices in Crawley, including the Glenbeigh Developments, Elekta, Sony Eriksson and Crawley Borough Council, and has advised on some of the largest deals in the Gatwick diamond region, including the 10-acre land sale at Thales, Gatwick Road, which the firm went on to market and secure the largest pre-let for some 10 years.
“The commercial property market here is an incredibly dynamic one currently, with multiple site sales within the Manor Royal over the past 12 months, and land values at record levels. Such significant commercial commitments to our region, together with ongoing investment, create a compelling economic outlook for Gatwick and the wider area,” concluded, Berrett.
Berrett started his new role as partner on March 1, 2021, and will be based at Vail Williams’ offices at Peveril Court in Crawley.
