Martin Clarkson

Bringing you expert advice

• I have over 30 years’ experience in commercial property, often working in niche sectors, latterly becoming renowned for my significant experience in the hospitality and leisure sector.
• Having worked both as an external advisor, and in-house at senior level I have a strong breadth of experience in property and corporate acquisitions and disposals in Scotland and Northern England.
• I have a successful track record in acquiring existing businesses and development opportunities for hotel, bar/restaurant, cinema and other leisure uses; my experience extends from single asset purchases to complicated portfolio transactions including Trust structures.
• With a client base covering diverse property holdings I have assisted with and co-ordinated asset management of surplus assets including achieving alternative use lettings for retail and commercial uses to maximise income retention or to facilitate disposal of investment class assets. I also advise clients on the outright disposal of properties including trading entities as going concerns and increasingly as development sites for alternative use.
• Whilst client-side, I oversaw the sale of the Grade A listed former Post Office HQ, latterly the prime G1 office development, on Glasgow’s George Square development.
• In recent times I was key advisor to Rank on the development options and disposal of the former Palais site at Fountainbridge, Edinburgh including a complex planning process and public consultation to deliver full value from a student village development.
• As retained rating advisor to trade bodies such as UK Hospitality (Scotland), Scottish Licensed Trade Association and Scottish Beer and Pub Association I contribute to strategic policy formation and advise on technical valuation matters across the 2010, 2017 and forthcoming 2023 Rating Revaluations in Scotland.
• My client base on rating appeals across successive Revaluations includes Whitbread, Greene King, Gleneagles, Marriott, G1 Group, Malmaison & Du Vin, Odeon, Rank, Merlin Entertainments and a number of independent Scottish based bar, hotel and leisure operators, landlords and developers.