Leeds trio launch property consultancy

Property Week 09.04.09
By David Doyle

Ex-CBRE man Senior and LSH men Beagley and Watson join forces

Three well-known Leeds agents from Lambert Smith Hampton and CB Richard Ellis have left to set up a property services company.

Duncan Senior, head of office agency and development at CBRE’s Leeds office, and Robin Beagley and David Watson, head of office agency and investment at Lambert Smith Hampton respectively, have resigned to start the new business.

The consultancy will be called WSB, after the initials of their surnames, and from next week will operate from the Basinghall Buildings on Upper Basinghall Street in Leeds city centre.

Senior, who featured in Property Week’s Hot 100 list of rising property stars, has left CBRE and will be in charge of city centre office agency and development. Beagley and Watson handed in their resignations two weeks ago. Beagley will be in charge of office agency and Watson will be in charge of investment.

However, Senior said the company would offer a ‘full service’ and appoint a fourth member to handle professional consultancy such as landlord and tenant advice and valuations.

Senior said that the venture started to appear attractive around six months ago: ‘We think there are opportunities in a bust market and we can start to see signs of recovery. We have set up to work with clients to capitalise on that.
‘It is tempting to set up a business like this in the boom but we think now is the time to move. It is going to be a difficult market for the next six months but we see it as a time to think creatively and professionally for the client.’
He said interest was coming back for well-priced investment and development properties.

Senior, 31, joined CBRE after being poached from DTZ in 2007. Watson, 31, started his career at Lambert Smith Hampton and was the consultancy’s youngest director when he was appointed head of the Leeds investment team in 2007. Beagley was also promoted to head of office agency in Leeds in 2007.