Canadian firm employs over 1,500 people at UK business

Avison Young has confirmed that UK jobs are at risk as the Canadian real estate giant begins a 拢16m cost-cutting drive.

The firm, which is working as project manager on a revamp of a City office block set to be carried out by Mace and was the PM on Derwent鈥檚 80 Charlotte Street scheme built by Multiplex in London鈥檚 West End, has around 1,600 staff in the UK working out of 13 offices including Manchester and London.

Headquartered in Montreal, the firm, which was set up in 1978, employs 5,000 people out of more than 100 offices worldwide including New York, Vancouver, Berlin and Paris.

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Source: Hufton + Crow

Avison Young was PM on Make鈥檚 80 Charlotte Street scheme for Derwent

But the firm has now announced an initiative to save C$25m (拢16m) from its global business with UK staff being given the chance to apply for voluntary redundancy, a process which it said was still ongoing. The firm declined to say how many UK jobs were at risk.

In a statement, an Avison Young spokesperson said: 鈥淟ast month, Avison Young announced C$25m in cost reductions to our business, including staff downsizing. These actions are a critical step in managing the impact of the economy on our industry while also positioning ourselves for the future.

鈥淭his decision will impact most geographies and levels of the business and follows global cost containment initiatives; we aim to complete these actions as quickly as possible in compliance with all applicable laws.鈥

According to its last set of figures filed at Companies House, Avison Young鈥檚 UK business posted a 23% improvement in turnover last year to 拢214m and narrowed operating losses from 拢32.5m to 拢10.5m.

Last year, Avison Young brought in former Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley as principal and president of UK strategic consulting.