Date: Thu 4th June, 2009
Venue: Manchester Central, Manchester, M16 0PX
And the winners are…
We like to think we’ve supported the North West’s property industry well over the years, reporting on its successes and failures, providing forums for debate and business development, and recognising its achievements. It was gratifying in these tough times that the industry supported us in return, making the Manchester Central venue a sell-out of around 800 once again. Compère Adrienne Lawler kept order with aplomb.
The awards, now in their 11th year, this year included a new category, for Workplace Provider of the Year. Prominent among the winners was Grosvenor’s Liverpool One project, which won Retail/Leisure Scheme of the Year and was a highlight of the entry from BDP that saw the practice win Architects’ Practice of the Year.
Recognition was also bestowed on some great local niche firms punching above their weight, like Edwards & Co and Lamont, while the showpiece award, Property Personality of the Year, went to a man who has bestrode the region’s property industry for the last 50 years and still shows no sign of letting up.
Peter Emerson Jones is the man at the head of the Cheshire-based Emerson Group, which includes Orbit Developments and Jones Homes, He’s known throughout the regional industry as “the Chairman” and is a man regarded as canny an investor as there is. But even he admitted that the economic climate is as tough as he can remember, but that he had faith his team to maintain the Emerson Group’s relatively strong position.
Jones said: “We've been going for 50 years and we've seen many downturns - and this is as difficult a time as I've known.” However, the man whose empire now stretches far beyond its south Manchester heartland into serious landholdings in Portugal and the US, added that there were chinks of light from the world’s dominant economy,
“I'm encouraged by news from our people in the US, where the market is looking up for the first time in a long time. There are signs of some recovery there,” he said. We’ll drink to that.
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