JLL acquires Coverpoint Foodservice Consultants
Property consultant JLL has acquired specialist food and beverage advisor Coverpoint Foodservice Consultants.
The move will expand JLL's European Retail & Leisure Consulting team and strengthen its F&B consulting expertise across a broad mix of clients in the region.
Founded by managing director Jonathan Doughty, UK-based Coverpoint advises on all aspects of F&B services, including commercial and operational performance analysis, benchmarking, standards monitoring and due diligence. Recent international projects include work for developers, corporate occupiers and investors looking to acquire or asset-manage properties with F&B elements.
Its acquisition comes as investors, asset managers and large corporate occupiers increasingly acknowledge the impact that an F&B offer has on their businesses.
James Brown, head of European Retail & Leisure Research & Consulting at JLL, said: "F&B is more resilient to the impact of e-commerce and retail polarisation and adds significant value to user experience in the physical environment. Coverpoint has an impressive track-record across the global foodservice industry.and bringing it into JLL will help us meet the growing client demand for this type of consulting service."
Doughty added: "The foodservice sector is going through a phenomenal growth phase, restaurateurs are emerging and expanding and landlords are taking a closer look at how they can improve the F&B offer to drive value and experience. From larger corporate occupiers looking at workplace strategy, to traditional retail real estate investors, to smaller start-up restaurant groups, the F&B sector is in huge demand, but getting strategies right is still the key to success."
Coverpoint joins JLL with immediate effect. Doughty will stay on as regional director and head of foodservice consulting.
The team reports to Brown and will relocate from Reading into JLL's Heathrow office in 2015. JLL has about 30 European retail advisers working on F&B projects at any one time.