Acquisition Service

David, a former Chairman of the 100 Property Club, has worked as a specialist commercial property agent focused on the M3, M4 and A3 corridors since 1988, with much of his career spent at Vail Williams. He later became a director/owner of Wadham & Isherwood (Camberley/Farnham) before merging with Curchod & Co.

Based in the Camberley office, David specialises in business space agency and provides investment & development advice, primarily focused in Surrey, the Blackwater Valley/M3 and Hampshire markets.

David’s experience includes advising a wide range of industrial and office occupiers and landlords including: St.Modwen, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, CBRE Investment Management, Segro, Stihl GB, The AA, Panasonic, Acal Plc, Hitachi Home Electronic, USS, Surrey County Council, Surrey Heath Borough Council, Schroeder’s, DTZ Investment Management, Hermes, Investream, Chancerygate, Aviva and Kier.

Notable successes include:
• Investment Acquisition – Advising Surrey Heath Borough Council in the acquisition of Trade City, a 100,000 sq ft industrial estate in Frimley
• Industrial property disposal – advising St Modwen plc on the regeneration of a 300,000 sq ft development at Henley Park, near Guildford, in four phases, including 25 unit sales and lettings
• Expert witness – representing Columbia Threadneedle in a successful planning appeal
• Office acquisition – advising nDreams, a leading gaming company, on the acquisition of 20,000 sq ft of offices in Spectrum Point, Farnborough
• Office property sale – the sale of a 32,500 sq ft office in Watchmoor Park, Camberley on behalf of BMO Real Estate Partners
• Strategic advice – Winnersh Triangle, Winnersh. Advising Segro Plc, over a period of 12 years, regarding property disposal and redevelopment advice for five phases of office and industrial redevelopment of the business park
• The acquisition of a new 40,000 sq ft performing art facility in central Woking for Italia Conti, the world’s oldest performing arts college

Away from the office, David is a keen golfer and is developing an interest in barbecuing and smoking meat!

Nick is a Chartered Surveyor and has over 20 years of experience working in commercial property consultancy, having started his career at Wadham & Isherwood, where he became a partner/owner of the firm, which merged with Curchod & Co in 2018. As a partner of Curchod & Co, he is involved in setting the strategic direction of the business.

Nick specialises in the acquisition and disposal of commercial property, specifically within the South East market where he has built a diverse range of corporate clients, undertaking acquisition and disposal work in the industrial, logistics and office markets. He has a reputation for negotiating the best possible lease terms or purchase price for clients, while at the same time ensuring occupational timescales are adhered to.

Clients include:
• QinetiQ
• BAE Systems
• Smithers
• American Express
• Hermes Investment Management
• Aberdeen Standard
• Airbus

With a strong reputation in the market, Nick is also a trusted adviser for a number of local authority clients including Waverley, Guildford, Rushmoor and East Hampshire Borough Councils, providing strategic property advice as well as agency and Landlord & Tenant consultancy.

Notable recent achievements include: –
• Advising global testing services specialist, Smithers in the acquisition of two freehold sites in Leatherhead totalling 40,000 sq ft and disposing of a 1-acre development site
• Acting on behalf of Aberdeen Standard Investments to dispose of a multi-let industrial investment portfolio totalling around £8m
• Letting 10,000 sq ft of office space to logistics firm, Whistl at Spectrum Point, Farnborough
• Selling The Enterprise Centre, Farnham, a 20,000 sq ft multi-let investment to Waverley Borough Council

Outside work, Nick is a huge surfing enthusiast, and loves swimming, walking his dog, snowboarding and spending time in the mountains.

A Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Richard qualified as a General Practice Surveyor in 2001 and has worked in Surrey for over 25 years, predominantly handling the acquisition and disposal of commercial premise acting on behalf of local occupiers and Institutional Investors.

He joined Curchod & Co in 2009 to expand the commercial property department and became a Partner in 2011.

Richard’s key clients include:
• The Rutland Group
• Dunsfold Park
• Schroders
• Railway Pension Nominees
• St James Place UK Plc
• Orchard Street Investment Management LLP
• The Milton Group, British Airways Pension Investment Management
• Canmoor
• Royal London Asset Management
• HSS
• Elmbridge Borough Council
• Woking Borough Council

Notable successes include:
• Acting on behalf of AIM Aviation in the disposal of their 70,000 sq ft building in Byfleet
• Acting on behalf of Dunsfold Park in the letting of 500,000 sq ft of existing buildings and The Simpson Buildings, a speculative 100,000 sq ft development of warehouse and production properties, with 50% pre-let prior to completion
• Acting on behalf of Schroders at Woking Business Park, retained letting agents, handling negotiations on their behalf for land which was required for the new Sheerwater access road
• Acting on behalf of Railway Pension Nominees as letting agent for Octimum and Kingswey Business Park, in addition to advice regarding rent review and lease renewal negotiations

Piers is a Chartered Surveyor with over 20 years experience of advising on commercial property in the South East of England. Prior to joining Curchod & Co, Piers was a principal and Head of South East Offices at Avison Young, director and Head of Office Agency at Capita Plc and a national director at JLL. He began his career at King Sturge in 2000 and became a partner in 2008 before the merger with JLL.

Piers specialises in the South East office market, acting for funds, developers, investors and property companies. He also advises a wide range of occupiers, from large global occupiers to SMEs and small start-up companies, in the acquisition of office space.

He has acted on some of the region’s premier office schemes, including:
• The Heights, Brooklands for M&G
• Ruskin Square in Croydon for Schroders and Stanhope
• Arlington Square in Bracknell for Arlington
• Cathedral Square, Guildford for Europa and Ediston (Investment)
• Frimley Business Park for Rushmoor Borough Council (Investment)
• Sovereign Gate in Richmond for Watkin Property Ventures (Investment, redevelopment and leasing)

Piers also has significant experience as an Expert Witness on matters of employment use and office space in the South East. This work normally revolves around a change of use, viability and demand matters. Projects, where he has appeared as an Expert Witness, include the planning inquiry on the ERA Site, Cleeve Road, Leatherhead and at the online planning inquiry for Tolworth Tower on behalf of the appellant.

Piers also has extensive occupier experience, having represented several corporate clients including GSK, Cubix PSI, Capita, Thales, Network Rail, O2, Orange, Pfizer and Brewin Dolphin.

A Chartered Surveyor, and RICS Registered Valuer, with over 15 years’ experience working in commercial property consultancy, Keith began his career at Dreweatt Neate in Andover, Hampshire and is a director in the Basingstoke office.

As a general practice surveyor, Keith has a wide experience in all aspects of agency transactions and professional work including rent reviews, lease renewals and valuations. His core area of operation is across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey where he has built a wide range of clients including:
• London & Scottish
• Howard Tenens
• M7 Real Estate
• Mileway
• Britax Excelsior
• St Modwen
• West Berkshire Council

Notable achievements include:
• Advising Tenens Property in the disposal of Ascent 40 & 100, two vacant industrial / warehouse units in Andover totalling over 130,000 sq ft
• Negotiating a rent review, a lease surrender and a re-grant of the lease on behalf of M S George Ltd, the tenant of a 20,000 sq ft industrial premises at Units 5 & 6, Albone Way, Biggleswade
• Acting on behalf of London & Scottish to dispose of the Freehold interest in Guilbert House, a 35,000 sq ft office building set in a 2.2-acre plot in Andover
• Providing continuing agency and lease advisory services on the St Martins Trade Park in Winchester, a multi-let industrial / trade estate of 15 units totalling 45,000 sq ft
• Assisting Graduate Surveyors to pass their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC)

Away from work, Keith enjoys running, cricket, holidays and spending time with his family.

Jim has been based in Basingstoke since 1981 and was a founding partner of London Clancy, an agency specialising in development and investment sales & acquisitions.

More recently, in 2021, Jim and his long-term colleague, Mark Clancy, reached an agreement to sell London Clancy to Curchod & Co

Jim obtained a Diploma in Estate Management from Bristol Polytechnic in 1975. He later joined the Government’s Property Services Agency and became an ARICS in 1978.

Having worked in Reading and London, he joined Pearsons in 1981 where he became an associate in 1985. Pearsons was sold to the Prudential in 1987 and Jim became a Fellow of the RICS in 1989. A year later Jim participated in a management buyout from Prudential and, along with Mark Clancy, set up London Clancy in December 1990. The firm initially had offices in Guildford and Basingstoke, followed by Camberley, Southampton, and Winchester.

London Clancy became part of Curchod & Co in 2021.

Over the years, Jim’s notable successes include:

• The sale of 5 acres for Macmillan to Kier which became Logistics City in Basingstoke.
• Sale of 20 acres for housing in Odiham to Persimmon/Charles Church.
• Sale of 7 acres near Farnham to Taylor Wimpey.
• Sale of 11 acres for ITT to St Modwen – now St Modwen Park Basingstoke and the subsequent letting of 186,000 sq ft of warehousing/logistics plus two retail pods.
• Sale of site in Houndmills Basingstoke of about 11 acres redeveloped as GAME’s HQ.

Jim’s interests outside of work include his family, especially his three grown-up daughters, playing tennis, being a part of Rotary Club of Basingstoke, where he was the President in 1999/2000, and enjoying theatre.

Alex Blown is a Chartered Surveyor with several years of experience providing agency and investment advice across all sectors in the commercial property market. Since joining Curchod & Co in 2019, he has attained specialist knowledge of the West Surrey, East Hampshire and Blackwater Valley markets along with a focus on investment activities across the South East, where he has established relationships with a number of clients including:-

• M7 Real Estate
• Logicor
• Waverley Borough Council
• Qinetiq
• Store Property Investments
• Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company
• Action Global Logistics

Notable achievements include:-

• Acquiring London House, Bracknell in 2023 for £3.4 million on behalf of a private client
• Sale of 306 Ewell Road, Surbiton in 2023 on behalf of a private client achieving a price equating to 5.61% Net Initial Yield
• Sale of 2-acre brownfield site in 2022 facilitating a simultaneous exchange and completion within 10 working days
• Successful pre-let campaign for a new build scheme of 6 industrial units in Normandy, Guildford, achieving 100% occupancy within 6 months of PC
• Acting on behalf of an established Heathrow based logistics company in 2023 to source and secure 7,000 sq ft of industrial space within 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport

Prior to joining Curchod & Co, Alex graduated with first-class honours in Property Development from the University of Portsmouth.

He is also a massive Arsenal fan and likes to attend a few matches every season.

Katie qualified as a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in October 2016 and as an RICS Registered Valuer in 2018. Katie joined Curchod and Co commercial property team in Weybridge and Woking at in 2014, having spent previous years working in the property industry in estate agency in Surrey.

Katie is a multi-disciplinary chartered surveyor within the commercial property team and is responsible for matters relating to commercial property professional work, primarily valuations for pension funds, asset management, taxation and accounting purposes, lease renewals and rent reviews, as well as advisory work including acquisitions and disposals for specific clients.

Notable achievements include:
• Disposing of a portfolio of commercial and residential regulated tenancies freehold investment properties on behalf of a management client
• Joint expert witness valuation report of a complex portfolio of mixed-use properties

Katie enjoys spending time with family and friends, and likes the great outdoors, including running when she gets the chance!

Tom is a qualified Chartered Surveyor, having successfully completed his APC in 2022.

He received an undergraduate degree in Business and Management from the University of the West of England before starting his career at London Clancy as a Trainee Surveyor in 2016. While working, he also pursued a part-time Real Estate Management Masters course at the University of Portsmouth.

Tom specialises in the agency department and focuses on the acquisition and disposal of commercial properties in Basingstoke and the surrounding areas. He also has experience in professional work such as lease renewals, rent reviews, and valuations.

In his free time, Tom is an avid fan of Southampton FC and enjoys being active outdoors. He achieved a significant personal accomplishment by completing the London Marathon.

As a Trainee Surveyor based in the Farnham office, Matthew joined Curchod & Co in May 2021.

He brings prior experience from his roles at Handelsbanken in the compliance department and The Wilky group in the property department.

Matt is focused on obtaining his RICS qualifications and gaining the necessary skills and experience in the commercial property industry, including agency, valuation and property management.

Josie has over twenty years of experience of lettings and management within the Blackwater Valley’s commercial property market. Prior to joining Curchod & Co in 2021, she managed a portfolio of commercial properties for the Pears Group.

Josie’s extensive experience is of great benefit to her clients.  Her in-depth knowledge of the local market and the occupiers based in the area has enabled her to  build lasing working relationships within the business community.

She has a strong focus on the local office and industrial market, working closely with start-ups and SMEs which has  helped achieve prompt lettings and in some cases no void periods for the client.

Due to Josie’s excellent relationship with her former employers and tenants in their buildings she continues to act on their behalf on a number of their properties.

In her free time, Josie loves to be outdoors, whether this is exploring the Basingstoke Canal in her Kayak, taking part in outside fitness classes or playing football with her children.

Ed graduated from Northumbria University in 2019 with a BSc Hons in Real Estate, which is RICS accredited. During his studies, he covered a variety of topics including professional practice, planning and development, valuations, and investment.

At a young age, Ed moved to Singapore which sparked his interest in the scale of development and led him to pursue a career in the property industry. After graduation, he gained experience in residential agency in Farnham and completed a winter season working in the Austrian Alps.

In 2022, he joined Curchod & Co as a Graduate Surveyor in Basingstoke. He is currently expanding his knowledge and skills by working on lease renewals, rent reviews, valuations, and commercial agency. He is also enrolled in the commercial pathway towards completing his APC.

In his free time, Ed enjoys a variety of sports including skiing, football, squash, tennis, motorsport, golf, and rugby. Each year he also makes trips to Cardiff for the Six Nations and Autumn Internationals.

Joseph, a Graduate Surveyor, joined a commercial property agency based in the Woking office in September 2022.

He holds a BSc (Hons) Real Estate degree with Second-Class Honours, Upper Division from Oxford Brookes University (RICS Accredited) and is working towards obtaining RICS Chartered Status. He is gaining experience in leasing, letting, negotiation, measurement, inspections, landlord-tenant relationships and valuations.

In his free time, he enjoys going to the pub, playing golf, attending music events, and skiing.