Handley House buys commercial advisor Pragma Consulting

Property advisory firm Pragma Consulting has been acquired by real estate company Handley House, as it looks to put together a holistic portfolio of property services companies. Pragma will retain its identity and independence, while using the investment as an opportunity to expand into new geographies.

Pragma Consulting is a professional services firm specialising in real estate and property advisory. The firm uses consulting skills to help real estate companies optimise their portfolios in office space and retail. Pragma’s work includes proposition and brand development, customer insight and segmentation, catchment analysis, trading and performance analysis, among others.

As clients in real estate look set to have to adapt quickly to the ways Covid-19 has impacted demand, Pragma’s potential has been highlighted by its acquisition by Handley House. Pragma’s capacity for commercial advice for investors and operators in mixed use, airports, travel, and retail property, with expertise in commercial strategy, space planning and investment advisory will sit alongside the capabilities of the other Handley House businesses in masterplanning and architecture, to urban and landscape design, and interior design.

Handley House is the parent company overseeing three international businesses alongside Pragma. Benoy, Holmes Wood, and Uncommon Land bring together commercial advice and strategic research, technical knowledge and design expertise, the company delivers an approach including data analysis, masterplanning and architecture.

Commenting on the acquisition, Tom Cartledge, CEO of Handley House, said, "For many years, we have considered how we bring greater analytics, strategic research and commercial data into our family of design businesses. We don't aim for scale but for solutions across the broad spectrum of real estate. We offer clients the choice of working with one, two, three, or all of our teams, depending on their preference and requirements. Alex and his team are skilled experts in their field, and we look forward to introducing our expanded offer to clients around the world."

The deal will help Pragma explore new opportunities, across new sectors and new geographies. Pragma will be co-located with the other Handley House businesses in its studio in the City of London, and will continue to operate as an independent brand, providing on-going support for its long-standing clients and business partners.

Pragma CEO Alex Avery remarked, “We are really excited about joining the group and exploring the next chapter of Pragma's story… As markets evolve ever faster in this dynamic time, we will continue to seek new ways of providing valuable strategic support to empower positive impact and better connect people, products, and places.”