黑洞社区

Consultant Quantem has taken a leap across the pond and set up shop on Maddison Avenue in New York.

The firm has been enticed into the US by underwear purveyors Victoria鈥檚 Secret, whose owner L Brands was impressed with the 鈥渟ignificant savings鈥� the cost consultant helped it achieve on the fit-out of its flagship Bond Street store in London.

The retailer subsequently asked the firm to head across the Atlantic to look over its other stores, where Quantem is now working on more than 20 fit-outs.

鈥淲e demonstrated what a QS can do,鈥� Quantem co-founder and partner John Barbour told 黑洞社区, adding that the move into the US market also appealed as the company 鈥渇ancied a bit of a new challenge鈥�.

Thought to be the original breakaway firm from Davis Langdon, the consultancy, founded in 2006, is also on course to increase turnover 24% this year to 拢8.3m, up from 拢6.7m last year.

Quantem鈥檚 staff levels have also jumped a third in two years to 60, spread across its London, Birmingham and US offices.

The firm launched in Birmingham in 2014 and is already 15-strong in the city. Barbour believes staff numbers in the so-called 鈥淢idlands engine鈥� heartland could easily double within a couple of years.

It is looking to build on momentum in the fit-out sector, and to grow its residential work, including in the private rental sector, and in industrial.

However, Barbour is concerned that if former chancellor George Osborne鈥檚 stamp duty increases are not eased or reversed 鈥渢he whole [residential] market will be slowly stifled鈥�.

鈥淏y frustrating the top end, you frustrate the whole market,鈥� he said.

Quantem was launched by Barbour and fellow founding partners Blake Turner, Bruce Paterson and Mick Rogan.

Current Quantem projects include the 16-storey office block 2 Merchant Square in Paddington (pictured) for client European Land, the 26-storey Birmingham office tower 103 Colmore Row, and a 45-storey residential job, Baltimore Tower, in London鈥檚 Docklands.