Case Studies

Park Inn London

Acting on behalf of Administrators Ernst & Young, Christie + Co sold the Park Inn London, Russell Square to Crimson Hotels Group, the privately-owned, UK-based company, for an undisclosed sum. More than 50 accompanied formal tours of the hotel in just over a month culminated in a multi-stage competitive bidding process, which attracted a combined £1 billion-worth of funded offers.

First Quench Retailing

Christie + Co was appointed by the Joint Administrators of First Quench Retailing (FQR) Limited to advise on the disposal of approximately 750 former FQR stores, after it was placed in administration. After marketing the properties for just one week, Christie + Co received over 1,000 offers and was later instructed to market a further 500-plus stores from the former FQR estate.

Craegmoor Healthcare

Christie + Co advised Craegmoor Healthcare, which operates around 220 residential care homes in the UK, during its £290 million acquisition by Advent International.

GNE Group / Petrol Express

Christie + Co advised GNE Group on the sale of its Petrol Express business, which is one of the largest independent petrol station operators in the UK, to Leopard No. 2 Investments Limited, an investment vehicle backed by the Royal Bank of Scotland, for £51.66 million.

Mercure

On behalf of the fund management department of Falk Fonds 66, the 150-room Mercure Hotel in Berlin-Hennigsdorf and the 220-room Mercure Hotel in Hanover were sold by Christie + Co to an Israeli hotel company. Both hotels will continue to be managed under franchise by Accor and are branded Mercure.

The St David's Hotel & Spa

Christie + Co acted on behalf of Rocco Forte Hotels to successfully identify a purchaser for the iconic 132-bedroom St David’s Hotel & Spa in Cardiff Bay. Although the client originally planned to retain a management contract, Principal Hotels acquired the renowned property for £32.5 million, in a single asset transaction.

QMP

Christie + Co sold the independent QMP group of forecourts to United Co-operatives. QMP was established with the acquisition of Quarry Motor Services in 1997 and grew, through further acquisitions, to operate seven sites in North Yorkshire and Cleveland, which all feature Spar stores.

Merger of Happitots Day Nurseries with the Bertram Nursery Group

Christie + Co facilitated the merger of Happitots Day Nurseries with the Bertram Nursery Group. Happitots Day Nurseries comprised 12 nurseries, providing 865 registered places, wrap-around care and an associated training business.

Biggest deal from London and Birmingham

Acting on behalf of Hilton Hotels Corporation in its largest hotel deal in 2006, Christie + Co sold the 1,054-bedroom Hilton London Metropole (the largest business hotel in the UK) and the 794-bedroom Hilton Birmingham (the largest UK hotel outside London). The two hotels were sold to Dr Edward Wojakovski’s family-owned Tonstate Group for £417m.