Chorley-based property firm to create 100 new jobs

A North West-based property company is planning to recruit up to 100 new staff after signing its 100th deal of 2022.

FI Real Estate Management manages assets totalling more than £1bn after signing 102 deals this year, following 108 deals in 2021. The Chorley business now has more than 10 million sq ft of buildings and land in its portfolio with plans to build a further 4.5 million sq ft in the pipeline.

The business, which also includes FI Facilities Management and FI Construction, has 1,062 tenants UK-wide and employs 300 people plus contractors. FI Real Estate Management was founded by managing director and owner Tim Knowles, who kickstarted his business career when he bought a fishmonger’s shop in Chorley in 1982 and rented it out as a car valeting site.

The company is now one of the UK’s most established names in commercial property, asset management, development, construction and warehousing and distribution services. It is currently on site with nine construction projects in the UK with a value of £199m, including the development of 33 industrial units at Botany Bay, in Chorley, totalling 403,747sq ft.

Other major commitments include the acquisition of 85 acres of land for new build industrial development at Wrexham Industrial Estate in North Wales and the refurbishment of 10 buildings costing £21m. Tenants include the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), IBM, NHS, EE, HSBC Bank, Zurich, RSA and American Express as well as hundreds of local businesses and independent traders.

Knowles said: “It’s been a challenging two years because of Covid but the team has been outstanding and we’ve continued to grow across all areas of the business. The FI Construction team has more than doubled in size in the last 12 months and we’re looking to add another 100 staff across the business to take us to 400.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily