South: LSH acquires consultancy business ES Group

Commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has announced the acquisition of ES Group, a well-respected, 260-strong, consultancy-led business with a major presence in many UK regions.  

The firm is a market leader in providing valuation and corporate recovery advice to banks and accountancy firms, and is also at the forefront of the fast-growing alternatives market, particularly in hotels, healthcare and education.

Ezra Nahome, LSH CEO, said: “We are on a mission to build the nation's most progressive commercial property agency, and are investing in areas where we believe we can add value for our clients.  Bringing ES Group into the Lambert Smith Hampton fold is aligned with this objective, enabling us to enter important markets and fast track our investment in priority services.

“Bringing together ES Group’s highly-skilled consultancy teams with our established agency and transactional specialisms makes for a powerful combination.  The addition of ES Group enables our clients to access alternative sectors and accelerates our planned investment, particularly in our rating, building consultancy and valuation teams.

“The acquisition reinforces our commitment to the UK regions, building on our existing national offer and strengthening our presence in markets such as the North East.  In this regard, it is a natural follow-up to our acquisition of BTWShiells last summer, which expanded our footprint into Northern Ireland.

Nick Boyd, formerly senior partner at ES Group, who will become head of the rating and alternative investments teams at LSH, said: “The deal has a compelling rationale: we’re joining a company with like-minded individuals, complementary skills and similar ambitions.  The combined business has a broader platform with exceptional consultancy and agency teams, and an on-the-ground presence in every major UK region.

“Having seen what Lambert Smith Hampton has achieved since it acquired BTWShiells last summer, we are relishing the task of helping one of the country’s fastest-growing consultancies to continue to deliver its exciting expansion plans.”