The acquisition will mean that Atisreal, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas Real Estate, will have 880 staff located in 11 cities throughout the UK, and an estimated combined annual gross turnover for 2006 of euro 122.8 million. Fuller Peiser, which was established in 1883, employs 220 staff in six offices across the UK and specializes in the industrial and logistics markets.

"The UK is Europe's most important commercial real estate market and is strategic for our business," says Atisreal chairman Philippe Zivkovic. He added that the acquisition would make the UK Atisreal's largest business geography, ahead of France and Germany where the firm already leads the market in terms of staff.

"This acquisition will increase the size of our UK operation and give us more firepower in the market," says England. "Fuller Peiser's expertise in the industrial and logistics sectors will also improve our offer both here in the UK as well as across Europe."