9:00 AM
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) Global Corporate Services today announced that it has expanded its Retail Occupier Services group with the addition of Chris Malherbe and Robert Piñon, two experienced retail professionals who will further enhance the company’s ability to deliver strategic consulting, transaction and asset management, project management, lease administration and facilities maintenance services to retailers globally.
“Retailers are re-imagining themselves in this rapidly evolving e-commerce environment and that is driving massive change across the entire footprint, including supply chain, fulfillment, headquarters and regional offices as well as physical store portfolios,” said Branson Edwards, co-leader of Retail Occupier Services. “Chris and Robert work exclusively with retailers, and have been retailers themselves, which best positions them to effectively partner with clients to identify process improvement opportunities across all portfolio management activities.
Mr. Edwards continued, “Retailers are seeking efficiencies in their existing portfolios, and they need help understanding, for example, transactions like lease renewals within the context of facilities maintenance spend, capital improvement budgets and market repositioning strategies. Chris and Robert have spent their careers focusing on these issues, and retailers value this depth of expertise. They are leaders and collaborators, and we are thrilled to have them.”
Mr. Malherbe joins NGKF from Jones Lang LaSalle as a senior managing director based in Dallas. He brings 24 years of focused retail real estate experience from the perspective of a retailer, advisor, developer and broker of retail properties. His clients have included Kroger, FedEx, T-Mobile, Texas Roadhouse, Hollywood Video, Starbucks and Baja Fresh, among others. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Malherbe served as vice president of real estate for Buffalo Wild Wings, where he was responsible for leading the company’s national expansion and portfolio management programs.
Mr. Piñon joins as a senior managing director based in Newport Beach, Calif. He comes to NGKF from CBRE, where he served as a retail broker as well as a director of real estate for corporate accounts. Previously, he was a director of real estate at Jones Lang LaSalle and began his career at Pacific Dental Services, where he was responsible for the chain’s retail portfolio. Mr. Piñon has completed more than 650 retail transactions over the last decade and has successfully managed multi-regional and national new store rollouts, asset dispositions, lease renewals and restructuring, ground leases and build-to-suit development, and asset management assignments for a variety of retailers.
“We continue to aggressively invest in our Global Corporate Services platform,” said Michael Ippolito, global chairman of NGKF Global Corporate Services. “Driving value-added service delivery to retailers through our Retail Occupier Services team is a focus for us, as large portfolio retailers reach out for help across their footprints, from logistics to point of sale. Attracting and retaining great professionals like Chris and Robert is paramount to providing industry-leading solutions to our clients.”
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with its affiliates and London-based partner Knight Frank, NGKF employs more than 11,000 professionals, operating from more than 340 offices in established and emerging property markets on five continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. Its integrated services platform includes leasing advisory, global corporate services, investment sales and capital markets, consulting, program and project management, property and facilities management, and valuation services. A major force in the real estate marketplace, NGKF serves the local and global property requirements of tenants, landlords, investors and developers worldwide. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial and real estate markets. For further information, visit www.bgcpartners.com.