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Savills has agreed a deal worth close to $1 billion to acquire US property investment bank Eastdil Secured, marking a significant strategic move aimed at strengthening the British real estate group’s presence in the lucrative American market.

The London-listed property adviser will pay approximately $921 million for the business in a transaction combining both cash and shares. Around $553 million will be paid in cash, while roughly $369 million will be settled in Savills shares issued to existing Eastdil investors, including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, Guggenheim Partners and a group of senior staff shareholders.

The acquisition represents the first major deal under Savills’ new chief executive Simon Shaw, who took over from Mark Ridley at the start of 2026. Shaw described the combination as a “marriage made in heaven”, highlighting the longstanding relationship between the two companies in global real estate transactions.

Eastdil Secured is widely regarded as one of the most influential advisers in the global property capital markets sector. The firm specialises in advising major landlords, developers and institutional investors on high-value property sales, financing arrangements and complex investment transactions. Its client base includes some of the largest global real estate investors and private equity firms.

By bringing Eastdil into the group, Savills aims to significantly deepen its foothold in the United States, the world’s largest property investment market, where the company has historically had a more limited presence compared with Europe and Asia.

Shaw said the acquisition fills a strategic gap in Savills’ global platform. While the firm enjoys strong market positions across many international property markets, the US had remained the most significant region where its capabilities were comparatively underdeveloped.

He said: “We’ve got great market share in many parts of the world, but the one hole in our network has been the US. Eastdil is the leading capital markets operator in the largest real estate investment market in the world and provides direct access to the deepest pools of capital.”

Savills believes the combined organisation will enable it to compete more aggressively for high-value real estate advisory mandates, including mergers and acquisitions involving property portfolios, large-scale financing deals and global investment transactions.

The acquisition was announced alongside Savills’ latest financial results, which showed the company continuing to grow despite a challenging global economic environment marked by geopolitical tensions, tariffs and macroeconomic uncertainty.

For the year ending December 2025, Savills reported revenue of £2.55 billion, up from £2.40 billion the previous year, representing growth of 6 per cent.

Pre-tax profits rose by 14 per cent to £101 million, compared with £88.3 million in 2024. The company attributed the increase partly to stronger demand for its non-transactional services, including investment management, consultancy and property management.

These divisions now account for the majority of Savills’ earnings, reflecting a broader industry shift away from reliance solely on property transactions toward advisory and asset-management services that provide more stable revenue streams.

Income from these less transactional activities increased by 8 per cent over the year, while revenues linked directly to property transactions rose by 4 per cent.

Savills said the middle part of 2025 had been particularly challenging for deal activity as investors delayed decisions amid global tariff disputes and uncertainty surrounding fiscal policy ahead of the UK government’s autumn budget.

However, the company experienced a sharp rebound in activity toward the end of the year. Shaw described December as “astonishing”, suggesting that many investors returned to the market once political uncertainty had eased and the budget had been delivered.

He said investors were increasingly adjusting to a world characterised by geopolitical tension and economic volatility.

“Both occupiers and investors have started to accept that geopolitical change is now a constant,” Shaw said. “There comes a moment where you simply have to continue investing and doing business despite that backdrop.”

Savills also reported that the stronger momentum seen late in 2025 had continued into the opening months of 2026. Although the firm acknowledged that it remains difficult to assess the full impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it said there had been little immediate disruption to global property investment activity.

According to Shaw, London could potentially benefit from increased investor interest if global instability persists, as capital historically flows toward markets perceived as stable and secure.

“I think there is a likelihood that capital will tilt slightly towards traditional safe havens,” he said. “It would be logical that investors feel more comfortable placing money in markets where legal systems and institutions are well established.”

Savills’ board has also approved a higher shareholder payout following the improved financial performance. The company increased its final dividend by 8 per cent to 15.7p per share, payable in May, while also announcing a supplemental dividend of 10.7p per share.

Despite the strategic rationale for the Eastdil acquisition, investors initially reacted cautiously to the announcement. Savills shares fell 7.2 per cent, closing down 72p at 930p on the day the deal was unveiled.

Founded in 1855 by surveyor Alfred Savill, the company has evolved from a traditional land agency serving wealthy landowners into one of the world’s largest property advisory groups.

Although widely recognised by the public as a residential estate agent, the residential business accounts for only about a tenth of Savills’ overall operations. The majority of its income now comes from commercial real estate services such as advising investors, leasing office space, managing buildings and providing consultancy to institutional clients.

Savills has expanded internationally through a series of acquisitions over the past three decades, establishing operations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. However, the United States has remained the final major real estate market where its presence lagged behind competitors.

The purchase of Eastdil Secured is therefore expected to play a central role in Savills’ long-term strategy of building a truly global real estate advisory platform capable of competing with the largest property consultancies and investment banks in the sector.

Jamie Young

Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.