Cushman & Wakefield emerges as top investment broker in Mainland China

This is the third consecutive year that Cushman & Wakefield topped the category.

Real Capital Analytics’ (RCA) Top Global Investment Brokers 2020 ranked Cushman & Wakefield as the number one for commercial real estate investment brokerage transactions in Mainland China.

RCA is an independent research and analysis firm that focuses on commercial real estate in the capital markets. Its Top Global Investment Brokers ranks the top 25 brokers based on the volume of brokered transactions.

The RCA analysis shows that Cushman & Wakefield represented 31% of commercial sell-side transactions. By total investment volume in Mainland China in 2020, these were priced at $18.57 b (US$2.39b).

The brokerage firm dominated the retail sector with 88% market share in Mainland China last year. In Hong Kong SAR, the company also topped the ranking in office transactions with 24% of the market share.

In Taiwan, Cushman & Wakefield represented 33% of seller transactions by total investment volume in 2020, ranking first against other brokerage firms.

Alvin Yip, president of Capital Markets in Greater China and Head of Capital Markets in China, said the firm expects more commercial investment transactions to come to China in 2021 as the world recovers from the pandemic.

“In the first quarter of 2020 China's retail business was hit hard by the pandemic. However, since the second quarter, economic activity has rebounded strongly, demonstrating a V-shaped recovery, with customer footfall and sales returning to or even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The commercial market is flourishing, and high-end shopping malls have reached a new high record in sales,” he said.

“Among the world's major economies, China was the only country that achieved positive growth in 2020. We expect to see further large-scale commercial investment transactions in 2021, and we are confident that the story of China's growth will continue to attract long-term investors at home and abroad to increase their investment in China and in the nation's commercial real estate" he added.

KK Chiu, international director and chief executive in Greater China, celebrates this achievement and sets the pace for the following years.

“We look forward to sustaining the momentum and recovery of market confidence while we set new benchmarks in service excellence and innovative solutions for our clients and the industry at large,” he said.

(US$ 1 = HK$ 7.77)