Robert Irving Burns

logo Robert Irving BurnsLove me do; just as the Beatles were releasing their first single, a young ambitious Irving Howard Brecker and his partners opened a small Estate Agency in London’s West End and so Robert Irving Burns was born.

Many changes have been seen by the property consultants since that day in 1962 and today they are a thoroughly modern multi-disciplinary firm employing over 50 people undertaking commercial and residential estate agency, management and professional services including rent reviews, lease renewals, and valuation.

The firm today is perhaps better known by its acronym RIB and is equally proud of its innovations and modern service as it is of its heritage. Howard is still the firm’s Chairman but has been succeeded in Equity by Damien Field who has been with the company for over 25 years and relative newcomer Antony Antoniou who together are now leading the company’s ambitious growth strategy.

Resisting approaches from the large multi-nationals RIB revels in its independence vowing to remain a privately owned company that provides a personal service to all its clients. In fact one of their growth strategies is to acquire other smaller firms that provide a synergy to their existing offering like recent acquisition, Reiff and Co, itself a firm of property consultants acquiring not only the business but also the highly regarded father and son team of Anthony and James Reiff who are now part of the RIB “family”.

On the acquisition Damien Field said:

People have always been the most important part of our business and where we want to invest. Reiff and Co was a good fit for us and Goodman Jones proved invaluable in their ability to provide due diligence and structuring advice quickly and accurately.

Goodman Jones proved invaluable in their ability to provide due diligence and structuring advice quickly and accurately

The firm’s varied work includes the management of over 3,000 tenancies predominantly in Central London but extending out into the Home Counties and beyond. In the last 12 months the commercial agency and investment department has acquired, let and sold offices, shops, restaurants and development sites ranging from a few hundred square feet in its core Fitzrovia to the disposal of the £125,000,000 Canal Reach scheme in Kings Cross and what seems to be all things in-between from multi million pound Mayfair properties in glitzy Conduit and Sackville Street to sub £1,000,000 acquisitions in Yeovil!

Residential is an increasingly important part of the business with its recently formed New Homes division setting local records for prices achieved whilst winning rave reviews from developers and investors alike who value the firms holistic approach with developers welcoming early stage advice about design and service charges and investors comfortable that a flat acquired through RIB will also be well managed and let through the firms busy residential lettings department.

On the future Antony Antoniou said:

We will continue on our quest to be a modern independent practice offering unrivalled advice whilst growing both organically by investing in our people and seeking to employ the best as well as through acquisition. We are buoyant and excited about the future.

On Goodman Jones he said:

With our ambitious growth plans good accountancy advice is pivotal. On taking the helm at RIB I had ran a number of businesses at all stages of development and therefore had a plethora of accountancy professionals vying for our business – having inherited Goodman Jones they really needed to prove their worth to me to remain in place as the company’s accountants. They advised during our succession strategy, the acquisition of more than one firm and our own incorporation into a limited company from the original partnership. Throughout they acquitted themselves with aplomb and I suppose the ultimate accolade is that after five years of working with me not only are they our accountants but I didn’t hesitate in recommending them to one of my best clients.

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