A significant appointment has added to the existing agency team at Graham + Sibbald, with the appointment of national retail specialist, Terry McFarlane.
Terry is an industry recognised retail expert who, until recently, ran his own niche property firm, McFarlane and Co and advised a number of key national retailers.
Terry will be taking up a national position working across the Graham + Sibbald network of 14 offices to build on the existing retail client base and develop the national retail business of the firm.
Terry McFarlane comments: “I am delighted to be joining Graham + Sibbald at this important time in the retail market and feel that the firm is well placed to take advantage of the significant opportunities that exist for future growth in the retail sector. We have seen a period of stability over the past year or so following the independence referendum and national elections. There are a number of market indicators, including a fall in the number of high street retail vacancies, that show opportunities exist for both landlords and retailers to build upon this and move forward with a degree of confidence into the new year.
“There is, however, a note of caution to be sounded. Household debt remains very high and should the Bank of England raise base rates in the short-medium term then this could present a significant problem to many households, with the resultant impact this would undoubtedly have on retail spend. In addition, a prolonged period of bad weather over this winter could compound the recent poor retail sales figures release by the Scottish Retail Consortium. What this shows is that there is no room for complacency going forward into the new year with the economy still in a fragile state, however there are opportunities that exist for growth and G+S will be working hard to take advantage of these.”
Calum Campbell, Head of Graham + Sibbald’s Glasgow office, comments: “We are delighted that Terry is joining us in this national role, he brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in his specialist field. His appointment will strengthen our agency team and builds our national retail service, ensuring that our existing retail clients continue to receive the very best industry focused advice.”