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The wheel turns for Ferris
PROFILE: BERNARD FERRIS
Bernard Ferris recently joined Colliers to head a new shopping centre management practice. How is he finding the change?
consultancies, and that’s already opening doors for us in places like Bulgaria.
“So that’s why I made the move. Obviously it’s not going to happen overnight, but by combining my shopping centre experience with Colliers’ infrastructure, we’re in a position to target the sector.”
At Colliers, he’s working with Mark Jarrett, head of the
professional services division. “We are delighted that Bernard has chosen to join Colliers International at what is a very busy time for us,” Jarrett explains. “His experience and contacts in the shopping centre sector will considerably strengthen our retail offer to clients and drive our shopping centre team forward.” Colliers itself has been through a period of change, with the integration of the UK firm into the global business under the Colliers International brand and the arrival of a new chief executive, Tony Horrell formerly of Jones Lang LaSalle.
Ferris sees the new focus on shopping centres as a sign of a new impetus at the firm under the new regime.
A
fter a long career in centre management, which included the opening of centres like Festival Place in Basingstoke, Byron Place in Seaham and the Guildhall centre in
Stafford, as well as other management roles in Leeds and Manchester, Ferris became a consultant at King Sturge three years ago. Over that period, working with John Michell, he saw the
shopping centre management portfolio double in size. But he believes the time was right to move on. “I could have seen out my time at King Sturge,” he says. “I enjoyed it there and I have huge respect for John. But I had to ask if I wanted to stay Ray Wilkins for ever or if I could have a shot at being Carlo Ancelotti.” And he sees Colliers as the place to achieve those ambitions.
Using a footballing analogy again, he says: “Colliers is a bit like Liverpool – it’s a big company and a big brand and it’s just not right that it doesn’t manage more shopping centres. “Globally, Colliers is ranked number three among property
SHOPPING CENTRE December 2010
www.shopping-centre.co.uk
He has been given a three-to-five year target to build a shopping centre management business, and to a certain extent he will be focussing on new openings, as that’s where is own expertise lies. “We have a countdown program to set up all the management systems for a shopping centre,” he says. But Colliers will also be looking to take on existing centres. “We also have a health check program for centres that are already running,” Ferris says. “And we’re already applying it to schemes like the Mall of Sofia.”
And he asserts that the role of the managing agent is
changing, especially when it comes to shopping centres. “It’s no longer enough to have to have someone lock the doors and clean the floors,” he says. “You have to offer more – it’s the difference between seeing a centre as an asset rather than just a building.” Outside the office, Ferris has been a member of the BCSC
advisory board since 2008 and is a member of its Education and Research Committee. He is also a tutor on the College of Estate management’s Diploma in Shopping Centre Management.
Find out more: For more information, please contact the author or visit the website:
www.shopping-centre.co.uk/development graham.parker@
jldmedia.com
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