MIDLANDS RETAIL AGENT LEADS SAS INTO BATTLE

Retail News

It’s not quite Who Dares Wins, but an organisation which shares the same initials as the SAS has broken new ground by putting someone from a regional firm in the hot seat.

Ben Tebbutt, a director of the Midlands property consultancy FHP, has become the new chairman of the Shop Agents Society, the national organisation which brings together surveyors who buy, sell and let retail premises.

Reflecting the relative strength and activity of London and the South East, the SAS has traditionally had significant numbers of agents from the capital in senior positions.  In appointing Ben Tebbutt, it has turned to an agent whose main focus has been the East Midlands.

He succeeds Hayley Gisbourne, a director in Lunson Mitchenall’s leasing team.

Ben Tebbutt, 39, is one of the most prominent figures in retail agency in his region, with FHP having been involved in a series of major shopping and leisure developments in and around Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.

He has been with FHP for 16 years and, as director of its retail and leisure team, is currently acting for Intu in the £190m redevelopment programme of the two main malls in Nottingham.  He also represents a number of major retail brands nationally.

“I’m thrilled to be chairing the organisation,” he said. “I’ve been a committee member for the past three years and it is a real privilege to take over from Hayley, who was our first ever chairwoman.  The Society has some strong momentum and our ambition is to get more agents involved and benefiting from the wealth of market knowledge that we all share.”

The SAS has more than 700 individual members nationally and an established programme of events which include its first Friday drinks schedule, an annual golf day, retailer question time and a joint cocktail party with the Property Manager’s Association and Accessible Retail.

But it also offers help with professional development through APC workshops and CPD events, and Ben says its role in developing knowledge is increasingly important against a background of major change in retail.

He added: “We’ve got a strong events programme, but the benefits of being part of the SAS go beyond just getting people together.  We all work in a dynamic and fast-moving industry which is at the forefront of helping retailers manage challenge and change.  So pooling experiences and jointly representing our shared interests is increasingly important.

“If you look at the industry our members operate in and the relationships we manage, the SAS is an influential organisation.  We welcome the opportunity to work with partners in the industry to achieve progress and we’d be delighted to discuss sponsorship opportunities for SAS events.”

Besides Ben Tebbutt’s selection as chairman, the SAS has also announced new members joining its committee. They are Matthew Stephenson of Tindale Poole Finn, Matthew Taylor of KLM, Oliver Christie from Cushman & Wakefield and Alan Pearson, also of FHP.

Further details about SAS activities can be found on its website www.shopsagentssociety.com.  For membership information contact membership secretary Louise Oliver on 01799 544902.