Property Downturn Proves Growth Opportunity for Consultants

Property Downturn Proves Growth Opportunity for Kiwi Consultants

The global recession has been seen as an opportunity for growth by one Kiwi owned consulting company which is expanding its services into the Australian property market.

One of New Zealand's leading property consulting firms Hampton Jones, has opened offices in Sydney in a bid to establish its rapidly growing brand across the ditch, says its founding Director Brian Jones.

Already the company has won several high profile contracts including a survey of a major trans-Tasman forestry company's portfolio, surveying work across a chain of 160 childcare centres and a dilapidation survey into properties held in Sydney.

Jones says the Australian market was a logical extension for the firm which has grown by 100% in revenue since last year.

He attributes much of this rapid growth to the high degree of service the company provides and quality of its staff. The company has grown its team by 44% in six months due to demand for its services.

One appointment of key strategic importance was the hiring of Graham Matthews a former New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Director, says Jones.

In his role at NZTE, Matthews was responsible for promoting overseas investment, but more recently has spent the past 11 months on secondment to CERA as Senior Investment Advisor. This included driving the recently-released Christchurch Central Recovery Plan.

Matthews says the current expansion into Australia is timely as Hampton Jones is one of the few firms investing in brand development in that market.

Matthews believes the company is well positioned for continued growth across the Tasman as it offers the company an extended market place to utilise our international experience and multi-disciplinary approach.

He says that despite its current success, Hampton Jones staff had to work through a number of initial challenges to gain entry into the Australian market.

"It took us six months alone to get an Australian company registration. There were numerous taxation issues and legislative barriers as well as our need to resource staff with good local knowledge and experience," he says.

Jones says once the company had overcome these issues and established itself in the market, it has been successful in attracting Australian clients who were impressed by the breadth of international experience on offer.

"More than forty percent of our staff are from the United Kingdom and are experts in international property and construction matters." says Jones.

This international experience gives them an understanding of global best practice which they are able to pass onto their clients.

Jones says the Australian property consultant market is much more developed than it is in New Zealand with a number of international players with a wider, more diverse services range.

He says the value and volume of property across the ditch allows greater investment (and risk) to be taken which provides good opportunities for professional property services companies.

Despite the company's foray into the Australian property market Jones is adamant that New Zealand is still an important focus for the company.

"We've also been expanding into both Wellington and Christchurch having just completed a survey of over 800 buildings affected by the Canterbury earthquakes," says Jones.

Hampton Jones was recently appointed by the Ministry of Education to carry out surveys of more than 6100 school buildings, as part of the National Schools Weather-tightness Survey, he says.

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