Barker to leave Savills for Australia
Peter Barker, Savills’ Northern head of retail, is due to leave the firm after 10 years to emigrate to Australia. He will be replaced as regional divisional head by James Lamming.
Barker spent 10 years with Savills, having worked at SY Moorhouse Wright, Churston Heard and Mason Owen prior to that.
Barker and his Australian accountant wife and two young children will fly out in early October. He is due to leave Savills on 25 September. “If we don’t do it now we never will”, Barker said.
Lamming was retail director of the Savills Leeds office from 2007 until his move over to Manchester recently. John Agnew and David Charlton will continue to operate from Manchester along with Chris Nutter who has joined as an associate after four years at GVA, where his role covered high street, shopping centres, out of town retail and leisure.
Director Steve Henderson will oversee the Leeds-based team, joined by Josh Howe formerly of DTZ. Howe has experience of shopping centre leasing and acquisitions on behalf of retail and leisure operators plus leasehold and freehold disposals after starting his career at Fawley Watson Booth, a niche practice in Leeds. Phil Coombes will work across both the Leeds and Manchester offices.
The team provides retail and leisure advice to landlords and occupiers on all high street and shopping centre property matters. Graduate surveyors James Edmonson and Tom Warren provide additional support.
Lamming said: “We are pleased to be welcoming our new recruits to the business and confident their expertise will further enhance the team’s already strong offer. The retail scene in the North is thriving and we look forward to capitalising on this as we continue to provide holistic advice to a wide range of clients.”