Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March/April 2019 | Page 56

UNITED KINGDOM
UK's Alliance Property
partners with Hurst & Wills
U
K property developer Alliance Investments, a subsidi-
ary of Property Alliance Group, has announced an ex-
citing collaboration with the Cape Town-based inter-
national property specialists, Hurst & Wills. This association
is aimed at making Alliance developments more accessible to
local South African investors.
Lisa Bathurst, international property specialist and founder
of Hurst & Wills, says, ‘We are delighted to be the conduit
that brings this force in the global property market to South
Africa. On top of making Alliance products more accessible
to our South African market we will build a South African
footprint for Alliance, a new territory for them.’
‘Up until now, Hurst & Wills have included some of
Alliance’s products in our offering,’ says Bathurst. ‘Particularly
Alliance’s purpose-built student accommodation and
residential projects in the North of England.’
Alliance is a renowned global property company that has
been operating in the UK market for 28 years, with offices in
Manchester, Hong Kong, Shanghai & Dubai.  The company
has made a substantial footprint in student accommodation
in Northern UK cities. Bathurst says that thanks to the high
demand for student accommodation in these cities, this
investment has produced high yields for investors. In fact, she
says, this class of real estate is ranked as some of the most
lucrative by international property experts. ‘Purpose-built
student housing in the UK is also an affordable option with
the opportunity to provide dynamic returns, which is why it
has been popular with our South African clients.’
Managing Partner at Alliance Investments, Matthew Jay,
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MARCH/APRIL 2019 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
says, ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with
Hurst & Wills as we expand our operations across South
Africa. At Alliance Investments we are committed to offering
a personal service and face-to-face interaction, which is why
this partnership will not only allow us to grow our investor
network in the region, but it will also enable us to offer on the
ground, local advice to South Africans who are investing their
money into the UK property market. With both residential
and student property investment opportunities, starting prices
from as low as R1.3 million (£75,000) and full management
options available, we are confident that we can offer South
African investors high yielding opportunities that deliver
strong and stable returns in pounds, in turn providing a hedge
against a currently volatile rand.’
The Alliance property portfolio includes residential, offices,
industrial, retail and leisure developments throughout the UK’s
cities and regions.    Bathurst says, ‘Alliance’s entire portfolio
has been created based on a value-added strategy with quality
and unique design. We are delighted to be working with them.
We plan to build the Alliance brand in South Africa and
actively market their products to give them an on-the-ground
presence here.’
Bathurst says, ‘They also bring extensive experience and
contacts in the development and investment arena. This means
they have access to off-market deals. The Alliance team also
offer substantial property and financial expertise and we have
always found them professional and excellent people to work
with. We look forward to making this partnership benefit
South African investors.’