Savills, has integrated Dubai-based boutique agency, Prime Places Real Estate, into its operations. The move comes as Savills grows its presence in the region, with the addition of the Prime Places award-winning team complementing Savills’ existing residential and commercial agency expertise.
Prime Places started in January 2014 as a fully licensed brokerage and management company, operating mainly in the luxury end of the market, for both off-plan and completed projects at locations such as Al Barari, Emirates Hills and the Al Habtoor portfolio. Services covered also include commercial sales, leasing and property management. The team has won a number of awards including International and Arabian Property Awards for Best Agency and Best Marketing. The RERA-certified team members of Prime Places will continue to bring best-practice brokerage advisory, now fully integrated and operational under the Savills brand.
Existing Prime Places clients will benefit from the brand support and global reach of Savills, while the integration will enable Savills to upscale in key segments and broaden market coverage of the luxury sector.
Helen Tatham, Co-Founder of Prime Places who joins Savills to focus on prime villa sales, said: “We have always felt that there is a great synergy between Prime Places and Savills, so it is an exciting move for both organisations to come together. Dubai offers some exceptional luxury real estate opportunities for domestic and global investors, and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationships and fostering new ones through the Savills network.”
The Savills team has vast experience in the emirate, working with the likes of Emaar, Dubai Holding, TECOM Group, Habtoor Properties, Utmost Properties, as well as family relationships built up over 43 years supporting property investment in the Dubai market.
Lucy Bush, Head of Residential Sales and Leasing for Savills in Dubai said: “The integration of Prime Places into the Savills team will allow broader coverage of the luxury segment of the market, a natural area for Savills to expand its presence.”
The expanded residential team will cover all residential segments with best advice, customer care, ethics and professionalism. The integration brings the total number of residential brokerage experts at Savills’ Dubai office to 20. Each brings a depth of market knowledge and experience with an average of 8 years’ experience in real estate. The teamspeak a total of 12 languages, including Arabic, English, French, German, Russian, Swahili, Hindi, Farsi, Urdu and Mandarin.
The announcement comes at a time when the Dubai luxury sector is showing resilience and even growth, with the added benefit of access to a global pool of investment capital through the extended Savills network. With over 600 offices and more than 35,000 employees around the world, Savills provides genuine end-to-end international service.
Bush added: “Dubai is becoming more accessible, through dedicated payment plans, legislation changes to improve ease of doing business and progression towards a more mature real estate model. Savills helps clients understand the landscape, and with the integration of the Prime Places team, we are even better able to provide our clients with end to end expert advice to select the right opportunity based on their individual requirements.”