The joint venture between NAI Global and Harcourts International is gaining momentum in Victoria as the group recently announced the launch of its second office in Melbourne.

The NAI Harcourts team in Melbourne has doubled its presence in the market over the past 18 months following the merger of CRS into the business which has broadened the group’s service offering to include significant retail capabilities and doubling the scale of the property management business.

“The past eighteen months has been great for the business in an otherwise difficult market,” said Ross Mercorillo, Director of the NAI Harcourts Melbourne office.

Mr Mercorillo said that recent new appointments to lease and manage several large centres had proven the sense of the merger with CRS and that this activity had supported the growth of the metro sales and leasing business as well as having been a factor in attracting some excellent people from the group’s major competitors over the past six months.

NAI’s Global brand presence and active referral network have also been a factor in the growth of its presence in Melbourne. The business will look to continue its growth and services diversification following the planned relocation to larger premises in Melbourne CBD later in the year.

Immediately however the group’s focus is on its most recent strategic initiative, being the move to offer industrial services from its new office in Melbourne’s north in Campbellfield.

“Industrial property is something we have always had a lot of exposure to through our property management portfolio and our location in the heart of the industrial north is perfect to build on our focus to be a leader in industrial services in Melbourne and in Australia,” said Director, Wade Short.

“Historically we have offered agency services largely as an adjunct to our property management which includes many large complexes. We have many private clients whom we look forward to offering a broader range of services and access to national and multinational tenants through the national and international brand,” Mr Short continued.

“The opening of our second office in Melbourne is strategic for several reasons; it represents the acquisition of further great people to the group, the further broadening of our presence in Melbourne, as well as it being an important step towards building a national industrial services capability throughout Australia,” said Chris Nicholl, Chief Executive Officer of NAI Harcourts.

“The group is poised to open a second office in Tasmania in the coming days, establishing NAI Harcourts as a leader in commercial property services in Tasmania,” Mr Nicholl continued.