US Acquisition
Savills PLC
01 August 2007
SAVILLS ACQUIRES US FIRM GRANITE PARTNERS LLC
FORMS FOUNDATION FOR SAVILLS' EXPANSION INTO THE US MARKET
1st August 2007
Savills plc ('Savills'), the international property services company, is pleased
to announce today that it has acquired Granite Partners LLC ('Granite'), a US
real estate investment banking firm. Savills is paying an initial consideration
of $54.0m, of which 75% is payable on completion. The remainder is subject to a
five year earn-out, such that the total consideration payable for Granite is
capped at $84.6m, dependent on the achievement of EBITDA over a two year future
period. In addition to the earn-out, long-term incentive arrangements have been
put in place to help with employee retention. This is being funded from Savills'
cash balances.
Granite is a New York-based real estate investment banking firm owned primarily
by its partners. Founded in 1996 by John D. Lyons and Gerard V. Mason, the
company offers investment sales, debt and equity placement and advisory services
focusing on commercial property throughout the US. Granite undertakes
transactions in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean basin and has worked
for a number of high-profile clients including Babcock & Brown, Blackstone
Group, General Electric Capital Corp., Goldman Sachs Archon/Whitehall, Health
Care Property Investors, Inc., ING/Clarion, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.
Prominent transactions undertaken by Granite include the sale of the leasehold
interest in the office and retail premises located within Washington D.C.'s
Union Station for $160 million; representation of the Lightstone Group in its
$889m acquisition of Prime Group Realty Trust, a NYSE-listed REIT; and the sale
of the Enron World Headquarters building in Houston, Texas on behalf of Enron
Creditors for $50 million.
Granite currently employs a team of 18 professionals. They have a range of
diverse real estate backgrounds and have executed over $21 billion of real
estate transactions spanning the full range of property types, including office,
medical office, retail, multifamily, industrial and hotels. Following the
completion of this deal Granite will be re-branded Savills Granite with
immediate effect.
For year ended 31 December 2006, Granite's turnover was $15.4m; EBITDA was
$8.9m. Gross assets at that date were US$9.4m. As a result of Savills' stated
desire to build its presence in the US, further considerable investment in
Granite is likely to be undertaken and therefore the acquisition of Granite is
expected to be broadly earnings neutral for Savills' earnings in 2008.
This acquisition is in line with Savills' strategy to invest directly in
operations in the US following the dissolution of the company's strategic
alliance with the Trammell Crow Company.
John Lyons of Granite will undertake the role of Savills Chief Executive of
North America, and Simon Hope of Savills will assume responsibility for this
market at board level.
Aubrey Adams, Chief Executive of Savills, said:
'We are delighted to welcome the management and staff of Granite to Savills
Group as our new US acquisition. This is an important development for Savills
and is in line with our strategy of having a presence in the key global
financial centres and follows on from our major expansion in recent years in
Europe and Asia.
'We have taken our time in finding the right US partner. I am convinced that in
Granite we have found an excellent partner that gives us a first-class entrance
point into the US market. By entering the US market Savills now has strengthened
its presence globally.'
Simon Hope, Executive Director of Savills, adds:
'We see Granite as the ideal fit for our first US office due to an outstanding
cultural synergy, New York City location, access to capital markets and strong
leadership which will carry the business forward. We see this acquisition as
placing Savills on the map in the US and we have exciting expansion plans for
the business under the leadership of John and his team.
'The US market is highly competitive and we are looking forward to the
opportunities it provides and the challenges it will raise. We have an
excellent team in Europe and Asia, who will be working closely with Granite to
integrate them into our global network so that we can provide a wider
geographical service to our clients.'
John D. Lyons of Granite commented:
'By joining forces with Savills, Granite will expand further our client base
while enhancing our capacity to serve existing clients both in the United States
and abroad. Our association with Savills will provide Granite clients with
greater access to global capital markets. As a unified entity, Savills Granite
will stand as a formidable US base of operations for one of the world's leading
real estate services firms.'
For further information, please contact:
Savills Tel: +44 20 7409 9923
Aubrey Adams
Simon Hope
Granite Partners LLC Tel: +1 212-328-2800
John D. Lyons
Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: +44 20 7638 9571
Sarah Gestetner
George Cazenove
Analyst Conference call
There will be an analyst conference call at 9.00am on 1st August 2007 hosted by
Aubrey Adams.
If you are dialling from the UK, please call 0800 953 1444
If you are dialling from the US, please call 1866 220 1452
If you are dialling from outside the UK or US, please call +44 (0) 1452 542 300
Please note that participants will be asked for the conference ID number which
is 11538884.
Editor's Notes:
Savills
Savills is a leading global real estate service provider listed on the London
Stock Exchange.
The company established in 1855, has a rich heritage with unrivalled growth. It
is a company that leads rather than follows, and now has over 180 offices and
associates throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle
East.
A unique combination of sector knowledge and entrepreneurial flair give clients
access to real estate expertise of the highest calibre. We are regarded as an
innovative-thinking organisation backed up with excellent negotiating skills.
Savills chooses to focus on a defined set of clients, therefore offering a
premium service to organisations with whom we share a common goal. Savills takes
a long-term view to real estate and works hard to invest in long term and
strategic relationships and is synonymous with a high quality service offering
and a premium brand.
Granite
Headquartered in New York City, Granite Partners is a private real estate
investment banking firm specializing in investment sales and equity and debt
financing. The company also provides real estate advisory and consulting
services. The diverse group of Granite professionals has been responsible for
more than $16 billion in real estate transactions for clients throughout the
United States and abroad, including Goldman Sachs Archon/Whitehall, CalPERS,
First Industrial Real Estate Trust, J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Health
Care Property Investors, Inc., GE Healthcare Finance, AEW, Colonial Properties
Trust, Oaktree Capital Management, Blackstone Partners and Simon Properties,
among others.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange