Development Background

Mark Glatman established the Akeler Group of Companies in 1988 as a commercial real estate development group, providing office and high-tech industrial accommodation throughout the UK. By March 2000 Akeler had undertaken over 4 million sq ft of property development. Akeler established itself as one of the UK’s leading developers of business space throughout Europe.

In 1998 he sold the Akeler business to Security Capital European Realty. Akeler provided SCER with a base for its pan-European expansion, concentrating on investment in and development of offices and business parks for global blue-chip companies.  Mark left the company in 2000.

Some of Akeler’s notable developments include:

• Doxford International Business and Technology Park, Sunderland - a phased 116,125 sq m (1.25 million sq ft) development which included call centres for One2One, Barclaycall, London Electricity, Subscription Services (The Post Office), Avco and Royal and SunAlliance.
• Reading International Business Park, Junction 11, M4, Reading - a 30,657 sq m (330,000 sq ft) landmark office development occupied by Verizon (MCI Inc).
• Quinta da Fonte Office Park, Lisbon, Portugal - a phased 66,000 sq m (710,000 sq ft) office park development which attracted such high profile tenants as Nokia, Microsoft, GE Capital, Elf, Proctor & Gamble, SAP and Cisco Systems.
• Akeler also developed business parks in Paris, France and Frankfurt and Munich, Germany.
• Akeler developed call centres for T-Mobile in Dearne Valley in central England, Merthyr Tydfil in Wales and Greenock and Dundee in Scotland.
• 215/217 Bath Road, Slough – two office buildings of 72,300 sq ft and 41,000 sq ft, constructed around a shared courtyard. The majority of the two buildings were let to Equant, the international data network provider, with Coca Cola and logistics specialist Frigoscandia also occupying space in the smaller building.
• 165 Bath Road, Slough - 45,462 sq ft of offices, pre-let to Lease Plan UK, a subsidiary of ABN Amro Lease   Holdings NV.  The development was subsequently sold to Britannia Investment Managers.