US Acquisition

Savills PLC 01 August 2007 SAVILLS ACQUIRES US FIRM GRANITE PARTNERS LLC FORMS FOUNDATION FOR SAVILLS' EXPANSION INTO THE US MARKET 1st August 2007 Savills plc ('Savills'), the international property services company, is pleased to announce today that it has acquired Granite Partners LLC ('Granite'), a US real estate investment banking firm. Savills is paying an initial consideration of $54.0m, of which 75% is payable on completion. The remainder is subject to a five year earn-out, such that the total consideration payable for Granite is capped at $84.6m, dependent on the achievement of EBITDA over a two year future period. In addition to the earn-out, long-term incentive arrangements have been put in place to help with employee retention. This is being funded from Savills' cash balances. Granite is a New York-based real estate investment banking firm owned primarily by its partners. Founded in 1996 by John D. Lyons and Gerard V. Mason, the company offers investment sales, debt and equity placement and advisory services focusing on commercial property throughout the US. Granite undertakes transactions in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean basin and has worked for a number of high-profile clients including Babcock & Brown, Blackstone Group, General Electric Capital Corp., Goldman Sachs Archon/Whitehall, Health Care Property Investors, Inc., ING/Clarion, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley. Prominent transactions undertaken by Granite include the sale of the leasehold interest in the office and retail premises located within Washington D.C.'s Union Station for $160 million; representation of the Lightstone Group in its $889m acquisition of Prime Group Realty Trust, a NYSE-listed REIT; and the sale of the Enron World Headquarters building in Houston, Texas on behalf of Enron Creditors for $50 million. Granite currently employs a team of 18 professionals. They have a range of diverse real estate backgrounds and have executed over $21 billion of real estate transactions spanning the full range of property types, including office, medical office, retail, multifamily, industrial and hotels. Following the completion of this deal Granite will be re-branded Savills Granite with immediate effect. For year ended 31 December 2006, Granite's turnover was $15.4m; EBITDA was $8.9m. Gross assets at that date were US$9.4m. As a result of Savills' stated desire to build its presence in the US, further considerable investment in Granite is likely to be undertaken and therefore the acquisition of Granite is expected to be broadly earnings neutral for Savills' earnings in 2008. This acquisition is in line with Savills' strategy to invest directly in operations in the US following the dissolution of the company's strategic alliance with the Trammell Crow Company. John Lyons of Granite will undertake the role of Savills Chief Executive of North America, and Simon Hope of Savills will assume responsibility for this market at board level. Aubrey Adams, Chief Executive of Savills, said: 'We are delighted to welcome the management and staff of Granite to Savills Group as our new US acquisition. This is an important development for Savills and is in line with our strategy of having a presence in the key global financial centres and follows on from our major expansion in recent years in Europe and Asia. 'We have taken our time in finding the right US partner. I am convinced that in Granite we have found an excellent partner that gives us a first-class entrance point into the US market. By entering the US market Savills now has strengthened its presence globally.' Simon Hope, Executive Director of Savills, adds: 'We see Granite as the ideal fit for our first US office due to an outstanding cultural synergy, New York City location, access to capital markets and strong leadership which will carry the business forward. We see this acquisition as placing Savills on the map in the US and we have exciting expansion plans for the business under the leadership of John and his team. 'The US market is highly competitive and we are looking forward to the opportunities it provides and the challenges it will raise. We have an excellent team in Europe and Asia, who will be working closely with Granite to integrate them into our global network so that we can provide a wider geographical service to our clients.' John D. Lyons of Granite commented: 'By joining forces with Savills, Granite will expand further our client base while enhancing our capacity to serve existing clients both in the United States and abroad. Our association with Savills will provide Granite clients with greater access to global capital markets. As a unified entity, Savills Granite will stand as a formidable US base of operations for one of the world's leading real estate services firms.' For further information, please contact: Savills Tel: +44 20 7409 9923 Aubrey Adams Simon Hope Granite Partners LLC Tel: +1 212-328-2800 John D. Lyons Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: +44 20 7638 9571 Sarah Gestetner George Cazenove Analyst Conference call There will be an analyst conference call at 9.00am on 1st August 2007 hosted by Aubrey Adams. If you are dialling from the UK, please call 0800 953 1444 If you are dialling from the US, please call 1866 220 1452 If you are dialling from outside the UK or US, please call +44 (0) 1452 542 300 Please note that participants will be asked for the conference ID number which is 11538884. Editor's Notes: Savills Savills is a leading global real estate service provider listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company established in 1855, has a rich heritage with unrivalled growth. It is a company that leads rather than follows, and now has over 180 offices and associates throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. A unique combination of sector knowledge and entrepreneurial flair give clients access to real estate expertise of the highest calibre. We are regarded as an innovative-thinking organisation backed up with excellent negotiating skills. Savills chooses to focus on a defined set of clients, therefore offering a premium service to organisations with whom we share a common goal. Savills takes a long-term view to real estate and works hard to invest in long term and strategic relationships and is synonymous with a high quality service offering and a premium brand. Granite Headquartered in New York City, Granite Partners is a private real estate investment banking firm specializing in investment sales and equity and debt financing. The company also provides real estate advisory and consulting services. The diverse group of Granite professionals has been responsible for more than $16 billion in real estate transactions for clients throughout the United States and abroad, including Goldman Sachs Archon/Whitehall, CalPERS, First Industrial Real Estate Trust, J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Health Care Property Investors, Inc., GE Healthcare Finance, AEW, Colonial Properties Trust, Oaktree Capital Management, Blackstone Partners and Simon Properties, among others. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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