Alliance Boots appoints Gerald Eve for all rating work

Alliance Boots has appointed the Manchester office of Gerald Eve LLP to undertake all the business rates work on its UK portfolio of some 2,700 properties, including all those in the North West.

Gerald Eve's rating team beat eight rivals for the five-year contract, which has a portfolio of property with a rateable value of £100m.

The contract will commence in April next year and encompasses a comprehensive rates management service and rating appeals work, with the primary focus being the important 2010 rating revaluation.

Mike Roocroft, partner at Gerald Eve in Manchester, said: "The addition of the Alliance Boots portfolio means that our Manchester-based rating team will be providing rating advice on over 4,000 properties. In the current economic climate, clients are targeting potential rate savings as a means of cutting costs and are increasingly turning to experts for professional advice on maximising reductions in their bills."