JLL sells niche team to ES Group

Four staff are to transfer from Jones Lang LaSalle's Manchester office to ES Group following the acquisition of JLL's machinery and business assets team.

ES Group, the collective name for Edward Symmons, Storeys Edward Symmons and Aaron Fox, says the deal will create the UK's largest specialist MBA team.

The headcount at ES Group's Manchester office in Cloister House, Riverside, will rise to 32. The four staff moving across are Wendy Bennett, Joe Higgins, Steven de Freitas and Karen Green.

Colin Jennings, head of the Manchester office of ES Group, said: "We warmly welcome our new colleagues to the firm and are confident that they will fit seamlessly at ES Group, bringing skillsets and a geographical spread that complements our existing MBA offer."

Mark Stupples, UK chief operating officer at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: "The individuals moving to ES Group are true specialists in their field and on behalf of the firm I would like to thank them for their loyal and committed contributions to King Sturge and more recently to Jones Lang LaSalle. The transfer to ES Group is a positive step that sees them join a firm with an industry leading reputation in the machinery and business assets space. We look forward to maintaining strong business relations with the practice moving forward."

The acquisition follows ES Group's purchase of Devon agency, Aaron Fox in September 2013 and Storeys:SSP, a North East practice, in December 2011.