Firethorn Trust – a market-leading name in the UK logistics market – launches a new Living Platform focusing on the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and Build to Rent sectors. The company’s entrance into the PBSA market comes with the appointment of Marcus Weeks who joins as Director and Head of Living, to head up the new Living Platform.
Marcus’s specialist knowledge, experience and ambition will be invaluable to Firethorn as it capitalises on growth opportunities in the PBSA and Build to Rent markets. Marcus will be responsible for sourcing and executing new UK based opportunities.
“I am really pleased to be joining the senior team at Firethorn to apply my experience through an entrepreneurial mindset and develop the asset portfolio across the living sector.
“Firethorn is very well capitalised and has a high-quality development and delivery team with experience across the living sector, which will allow me to hit the ground running. This, together with its ambition and strong market reputation, provides an excellent foundation on which to build a successful Living Platform.
“With the opportunities in Build to Rent expected to rise over the next decade, and demand for PBSA as high as it’s ever been, we will be actively looking for new deal opportunities in the sector and to expand the Living team further.”
Marcus Weeks, Director and Head of Living, Firethorn Trust
With over a decade of experience in the sector, Marcus was most recently Acquisitions and Development Director at FTSE 100 company, Unite Group Plc for six years. He led Unite’s land acquisitions totalling c.£300m, overseeing the planning, design and construction to grow the GDV of the student accommodation pipeline to over £1bn.
Prior to Unite, Marcus spent three years CBRE in its capital advisory and student accommodation divisions. He advised large banks, owners, developers and investors focused on this market.
“Firethorn is an ambitious and active real estate investor and developer. Whilst UK logistics continues to be a firm focus for the business going forward, we remain committed to our core values of being agile, progressive and opportunistic. The general living sector offers strong potential for growth, and we are delighted that Marcus is joining us to lead and drive forward Firethorn Living.
“Marcus has risen fast through blue-chip companies and has an excellent track record of delivering site acquisitions and developments. We are excited about combining his expertise in this field and strong commercial awareness with our reputation, resource and experience in site acquisition and development, to capitalise on the opportunities available in this market.”
Peter Mather, Co-founding Partner, Firethorn Trust
Over the past five years, real estate investor and developer Firethorn has become a market-leading name in the UK logistics market, having developed a portfolio of over four million sq ft since 2018.
In the living sector, Firethorn acquired Quay House in Canary Wharf in 2018 and obtained planning permission for its redevelopment into a high-rise hotel and aparthotel building, and a 55-acre allocated residential site to deliver c.500 new homes in Bicester in 2019 – putting the company in a strong position for future growth in the living sectors.
