Cushman & Wakefield announced today the acquisition of DZAP, a leading Design & Build practice in the Netherlands.
The acquisition enhances the firm’s Design & Build capabilities in EMEA following the acquisition of ADMOS in Belgium and Luxembourg last year, as clients increasingly seek best-in-class expertise on creating workplaces that enhance business performance.
Established in 1995, DZAP’s 50 employees work on the design and delivery of office interiors for occupiers and office building revitalisations for landlords, as well as having a hospitality industry specialism. Working for clients from start-ups to global corporates, the team’s work is characterised by made-to-measure and fit-for-purpose solutions. Its projects, across all sectors, range from 200 sq m to 20,000 sq m and include designing Cushman & Wakefield’s Netherlands headquarters in UNStudio in Amsterdam.
Jeroen Lokerse, Head of the Netherlands at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “We have first-hand experience as a client of the exemplary service provided by the DZAP team. Above all, the culture and ambition of our two firms are fully aligned. This significant acquisition represents an immediate expansion of our full-services approach to clients in the Netherlands. We already advise clients on how best to optimise their workplaces for business performance and now have an in-house Design & Build solution to turn it into a reality.”
DZAP will be integrated into Cushman & Wakefield’s EMEA Project & Development Services (PDS) skill line which also provides project management, building consultancy, interior design, building engineering and cost consultancy. The regional PDS team, which delivered €2.5bn of projects covering 2.5m sq m in 2017, now includes 475 people.
Edward Vis will become Head of PDS in the Netherlands, which, combined with existing in-country staff and its established and well-regarded project management team, will be a 65-strong team providing clients with a ‘turnkey’ – or single provider – option alongside existing services depending on their individual requirements. Cushman & Wakefield’s current team lead John Konijn will be a key member of the Netherlands PDS management team and continues leading his existing team.
Edward Vis, Managing Director of DZAP, said: “We are delighted to join forces with Cushman & Wakefield, which is dominant in the Dutch occupier market and which understands the importance of the working environment to business performance. We always strive to achieve the perfect balance between the emotion in design and the logic of project management. This is true whether our client is an organisation seeking to enable ways of working and reflect its culture through its workplace, or the owner of a building looking to revitalise its asset.”
Colin Wilson, Chief Executive Officer EMEA, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “This investment gives our clients a creative Design & Build option backed by accountability and strong corporate governance. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities across EMEA to ensure we have the best people and platform to deliver outstanding results for our clients.”
Cushman & Wakefield was ranked top advisor in the Netherlands for the office, retail and industrial occupier markets by PropertyNL based on transactions in the first half of 2018.
