International real estate advisor Savills announced the acquisition of Knight Frank’s commercial property and asset management team in Poland. Under the agreement, 35 employees have joined Savills and its Polish property management portfolio has surpassed 1,200,000 sqm.
James Sparrow, CEO, Savills UK and EMEA, says: “As part of Savills strategy for the development of our business in Europe, the growth of our asset and property management teams remains a key priority and focus. The Knight Frank property management team in Poland has an excellent reputation and we are very excited about them joining our business. Poland is an important growth market for us.”
The portfolio of commercial property to be managed by Savills comprises mostly office buildings in Warsaw and other major cities throughout Poland. In conjunction with the buildings currently under Savills management, which also include retail and mixed-use projects, these properties make up a large and diversified asset portfolio. Notable buildings that will be managed by Savills include West Station I and II (115,900 sqm) and Miasteczko Orange (77,100 sqm), as well as Maraton A and B (39,300 sqm) in Poznań, Green Towers A and B (36,600 sqm) in Wrocław, Arkońska Business Park (30,800 sqm) in Gdansk and Kapelanka (22,000 sqm), Jacobs CH2M Center (18,000 sqm) and MK29 (11,000 sqm) in Krakow.
Tomasz Buras, CEO, Savills Poland, says: “We have made a very important step towards further growth of Savills in Poland that will enable us to double the scale of our property management business and significantly strengthen our position in the office sector. With well over 1 million square metres under our management, we are joining the ranks of the leading commercial property managers in the Polish market.
“We are not going to rest on our laurels as we are planning to further expand our portfolio. I am confident that this will benefit our new clients who will gain access to the state-of-the-art technological solutions we have recently implemented, while new employees will quickly experience the advantages of our organisational culture and feel part of our Savills team.”
The expanded property management team will be led by Michał Bryszewski, who was appointed Head of Property & Asset Management at Savills Poland in June 2021. In her new role as Head of Office Property Management, Izabela Miazgowska, an experienced expert who has worked for Knight Frank for the last 10 years, will work with Wioletta Nowotnik, Associate Director in the property management team. In addition, Marta Mikołajczyk-Pyrć will continue as Head of Retail & Mixed-Use Property Management, while Przemysław Piórek will be in charge of Industrial Property Management.
“The project group, which was responsible for the acquisition and comprised Knight Frank professionals, had been preparing the merger of the two teams for many months. As a result, long before the deal was finalised we had a new model of operation in place to ensure a smooth transition and effectively assist our current and future clients from day one. I am particularly proud that all the clients and members of our business partner’s property management team have decided to join Savills,” says Michał Bryszewski, Head of Property & Asset Management, Savills Poland.
The deal will also see Knight Frank’s four-strong team of engineers led by Urszula Łuszpińska join Savills. They will deliver projects for the firm’s property and asset management clients and the Building & Project Consultancy team led by Jakub Jędrys.
Savills provides comprehensive real estate advisory services, including office, retail and industrial property management. In 2022, it expanded its Polish property portfolio with mandates to manage Sky Tower, the tallest building in Wrocław, and Widok Towers, the most centrally located skyscraper in Warsaw. Savills has also extended the range of services provided by its property and asset management team, offering ESG advisory services and implementing innovative solutions that help bring service charges down and assess the financial standing of tenants in addition to strengthening its offer for the industrial sector.
