Veteran property developer retires from Gent Visick

Gent Visick said five directors - Andrew Gent, Garry Howes, Paul Mack, Gavin Ritchie and Kathryn Hodgson - will now run the company and lead its 14-strong team, across both its Leeds and London offices.

Mr Gent said “Rupert has been a fantastic colleague to work alongside, who made a genuine difference in the property industry, and we wish him all the best for the future.

“Gent Visick is Yorkshire’s only specialist industrial property consultancy, which is a USP that is still as relevant today as when the company launched in 2003.

“We’re now looking forward to building on this ethos and capitalising on future growth opportunities at an exciting time, as the industrial and logistics sectors continue to outperform most other areas of the property industry.”

During Mr Visick’s time as managing director, Gent Visick won the Yorkshire Industrial Agent of the Year award four times in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Mr Visick was not available for comment, but according to his Linked In page, he is now a chartered surveyor based in Harrogate.

Last year Gent Visick brokered a £120m property deal for Sports Direct, which was the UK’s biggest ever industrial sale and leaseback transaction in terms of footprint size.

The property consultancy advised the retail giant on the sale of its 1.8m sq ft headquarters and distribution centre in Derbyshire.

Around 4,000 people work at the site, which covers six buildings.

At the time, Mr Visick said: “This is an impressive site that has been developed in phases, to an exceptional standard and specification, over the last 14 years with work completing in 2018.

“We approached a number of potential buyers and were able to generate strong interest.”

Gent Visick covers a range of specialist services.

Its core divisions span industrial agency, investment, project management, building surveying and strategic consultancy.

In 2018, the company launched a London office, to capitalise on opportunities wherever they arise in the UK.