Belle Property Retail Canberra recruit industry heavy weight, Mark Nicholls

CBRE veteran Mark Nicholls has joined Belle Property Retail Canberra to lead the development of the commercial arm of the business.

As Director of Sales and Leasing for the new commercial division, Mark will work alongside Director of Retail, Nathan Dunn, as well as Head of Asset Management, Greg Moore.

With an expansive history across the UK and Australia, Mark spent 11 years at CBRE, starting with small industrial sales, working up to larger asset classes and various multi-million-dollar deals. Most recently, he spent two years as the Head of Commercial at Geocon; the fourth-largest residential multi-unit builder/developer in Australia.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Belle Property Retail Canberra and looking forward to the challenge of building the commercial side of the business. Commercial property is a popular asset class for investors and Canberra is the ideal growth market, especially as it’s become a haven for investors with a minimal impact on its economy from COVID-19,” said Mark.

According to CoreLogic’s Canberra Cityscope, commercial property sales have increased significantly across the capital in recent months. Sales recorded in the quarter to March 2020 totalled $413.6 million of 21 sales, a large increase in terms of value from the $171.9 million of 21 sales recorded in the three months to December 2019. 

“My aim is to capitalise on the commercial property opportunity across the ACT, growing Belle Property Commercial’s market share and clearly differentiating our offering by listing quality stock aligned with Belle Property’s premium brand,” Mark added.

Director of Belle Property Retail Canberra, Nathan Dunn said the growth of the retail business had been steady, allowing for the expansion into the commercial and industrial sector.

“We started as a one man show around two years ago and have spent that time building a solid network base and aligning ourselves with the right people. Mark has a wealth of experience and is the ideal person to jump on the opportunity we’re seeing in the ACT in land sales, development sites and middle markets,” said Nathan.

Head of Belle Property Commercial, Michael Hanscomb said while the growth of the national commercial business has been rapid, the focus has always been its people; Mark being a great representation of that emphasis.

“The addition of Mark is an important move not only for Belle Property Retail Canberra, but for Belle Property Commercial as a national group. As a highly experienced agent, Mark will hit the ground running, bringing several high-quality, leased investments to the market, and leveraging our national footprint to find buyers. We continue to see interstate investors interested in the opportunities within the ACT,” said Michael.

On the impact of COVID-19 on commercial property, Michael adds that with uncertainty comes opportunity.

“Our perspective is quality over quantity, and this holds true in relation to the listings we attack, and the personnel we bring into the team. The very reason we focus on high-quality people is to allow us to successfully manage times such as this. Nathan, Greg and Mark, share more than 50-years of sales, leasing and management experience, and as a business, we are comfortable knowing that Belle Property Retail Canberra will continue to flourish, while our competitors may struggle.”