好色先生TV

Cost consultant Core Five is on course to hit 拢7m fee income in its third full year of business.

Partner and co-founder James Clark told 好色先生TV the firm鈥檚 fee income will increase at least 50% in the year to March 2016 to break the 拢7m mark, up from 拢4.7m the previous year. The consultant will also top 70 staff by the end of 2015.

Core Five was founded by Clark and four other former Davis Langdon directors in May 2012 - Gerard Cook, Barry Hayden, Chris Amesbury and Stephen Pickersgill.

The firm specialises in London commercial, mixed-use and residential schemes, and also has an office in Denmark where it is working on Copenhagen鈥檚 Natural History Museum.

Clark said the firm has advised on over 30 projects with a development value above 拢100m, including Berkeley鈥檚 52-storey One Blackfriars residential tower on London鈥檚 South Bank.

Clark said the firm has been 鈥渧ery fortunate with the clients and the projects it is involved with鈥�.

The firm is looking to further expand its existing market share in the retirement living, PRS, student accommodation, leisure and retail sectors.

鈥淚nevitably as we grow we need to add strings to our bow,鈥� Clark said.

Clark argued the company was taking advantage of 鈥済reat opportunities鈥� in the market, particularly as many of its clients become frustrated with larger firms, adding that 鈥渋t is the right time to be a relatively small, independent, niche business鈥�.

He added that the firm is 鈥渂ullish鈥� about the year ahead and is still seeing dramatic growth in its core markets, with the office and residential sectors still growing at 鈥渁 similar pace to a year ago鈥�.

The firm predicts tender price inflation of 6% for 2015 and 5% for 2016 and a drop to 3.5% for 2017, signalling in its view the beginning of a levelling off as increasing land prices and construction costs impact on project viability.