Bayleys Expands

PHOTO: Bayleys

Leading Canterbury real estate agency Bayleys is expanding its commercial and industrial sales and leasing footprint in Christchurch – with the acquisition of rival firm MB Cook Ltd to create the biggest sector-specific team in the region.

MB Cook’s six sales personnel will relocate from their current premises in Show Place, Addington, to Bayleys’ head office in Deans Avenue – which are currently being reconfigured and refurbished to accommodate the new staff. Bayleys Canterbury currently has 23 sales and leasing personnel in the region’s commercial and industrial property sectors.

Bayleys Canterbury chief executive officer Pete Whalan said the merger with MB Cook Ltd would further expand the agency’s presence in Christchurch’s commercial and industrial property markets – ranging from retail spaces and office blocks, through to development landholdings, warehouses, and manufacturing plants… encompassing both sales and leasing negotiations.

“We’re excited about the MB Cook’s experienced sales and leasing team joining the Bayleys brand – bringing with them decades of experience and networked connections in the Greater Canterbury region,” said Pete Whalan.

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“The result will see the creation of the biggest commercial and industrial sales and leasing team in Canterbury, in what will be a formidable unit supported by Bayleys’ extensive industry-leading back-office support services such as national print and digital marketing in conjunction with a strong community sponsorship programme both locally and nationally.

“With support from Bayleys’ national and international marketing initiatives, the MB Cook team joining the brand will now be able to add even more value to their vendor relationships – ensuring the maximum value is achieved for their vendors in the sale process.”

Bayleys Canterbury is part of Bayleys Real Estate – New Zealand’s largest full-service real estate agency with a network of 90 offices nationwide, employing more than 2,000 sales and support staff nationally. Meanwhile, MB Cook Ltd has been trading in Christchurch – under several different owners – since the 1970s.

The acquisition of MB Cook Ltd is the second substantial real estate agency move Bayleys Canterbury has made in the past month. At the end of February, Bayleys Canterbury merged with long-standing Selwyn-based residential and lifestyle property sales focused real estate firm Matson & Allan – with eight staff, and offices in Leeston, Darfield and Rolleston.

Pete Whalan said the two agency acquisitions reflected Bayleys’ long-term belief in the region’s real estate markets and wider economy.