ISG continues to dominate London fit-outs

ISG won 29% of London office fit-out work in the three years to 31 December 2006, compared with 30% in the two years to the end of 2005. It maintained its lead over rival Overbury, which gained 22% of new projects in the three years to the end of 2006, compared with 23% in the 24 months to 31 December 2005.

There was more movement at the lower end of the list, where Bovis Lend Lease made its first appearance on the table, with a 4% share of the London office market. Watesincreased its share to 6% from 5%. Como, Mace’s specialist project contracting subsidiary, moved into third place from fifth with a market share of 10%, after winning over 170,000ft2 of new work in 2006.

Andy King, the managing director of Metropolis Property Research, who wrote the report, said: “It will be interesting to see if ISG can maintain that lead, but the question is, who is the next contender?”

He added that the nature of the market for fit-out contractors has changed. The increase in the amount of pre-let means that there can be more than 12 months between the appointment of an architect and the appointment of a contractor.

King said: “The past six months have seen a increase in pre-let activity. This means architects and fit-out contractors have to start building relationships with clients earlier.”

Large pre-lets include KPMG at 15 Canada Square, Canary Wharf and the Man Group at Riverbank House, London.

Among the architects, Swanke Hayden Connell took the number one spot with a 17% share. In the previous table it was in seventh place, with an 8% share. MCM moves down one position to second place with a market share of 15%. Meanwhile Woods Bagot, with a 3% market share, and TTSP, with 2%, made their first appearances in the table.

The survey analysed all office lettings in central London of more than 20,000ft2 over the three year period.

• ISG posted a 17% rise in pre-tax profit to £4.2m for the six months to 31 December. It lost £500,000 on the reorganisation of recent acquisition ISG Totty.