Martley Capital acquires Birmingham buildings

Birketts has advised Martley Capital on the acquisition of the Lewis Building and Priory Court in Birmingham for approximately £60m, as part of the firm’s ongoing UK regional office investment strategy. This acquisition brings the assets into the Martley Capital Regional Office (MCRO) series of funds, increasing total deployment within the platform to more than £110m. Martley Capital is now targeting a robust £500m of gross investment for the platform over the next 12 months.

Martley Capital's business plan for the Lewis Building includes a proactive asset management strategy that focuses on leasing vacant accommodation, securing lease regears and undertaking targeted capital investment to enhance the building's amenity offering. The acquisition follows Martley Capital's earlier purchases of three regional office assets in Newcastle, Chester, and Liverpool as well as the acquisition of 4 Temple Row in Birmingham in late 2025. The Real Estate Investment Team at Birketts was involved in all these transactions.

Rory Finnan, Managing Director and Head of Transactions at Martley Capital, commented, "It has been a pleasure working again with the Real Estate Investment Team at Birketts on this latest acquisition. We continue to see value in the UK regional office market and look forward to building on the platform over the next 12 months."

The Birketts team was led by Commercial Real Estate Partner Laura Hector and Cameron Barlow, who heads the firm's Real Estate Investment practice. They received support from colleagues Katie McElligott, Olivia Button, Daniel Flaxmer and James Humphreys.

Laura Hector said, “We are delighted to have supported Martley Capital on another significant acquisition as it continues to expand its regional office portfolio. The transaction demonstrates Martley's clear strategic vision for the sector.” Cameron Barlow added, “This acquisition further strengthens Martley Capital's growing presence in regional office investment and builds on a series of successful transactions we have advised on over the past year. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Martley team once again and help deliver another important milestone in the development of the MCRO platform.”