Knight Frank appoints Louis Harding as Head of Residential business in UAE. 23 September 2026 Consultancy-me.com Knight Frank, a global property consultancy, has appointed Louis Harding as Partner and Head of Residential for its UAE business. In the role, Harding is responsible for expanding Knight Frank's residential business in the emirates, with a focus on scaling sales and leasing capabilities across the secondary and off-plan markets, broadening the team and developing new opportunities for clients. He also has been handed the remit to expand the firm's offerings around exclusive developments. Harding brings 24 years of experience across the London and Dubai property markets to the role. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Betterhomes, one of the UAE's most established real estate businesses. During his tenure, the company expanded into new business lines including development sales, corporate and relocation services and so-called build-to-lease developments. He also oversaw a full rebrand of the business, introduced a new training platform and secured an affiliation with an international counterpart. Earlier, Harding spent nearly 15 years at Foxtons, rising through the business to become Area Director with responsibility for its largest division, before joining Strutt & Parker as Head of its London residential team, where he worked extensively across London's prime and super-prime residential markets. Commenting on his move, Harding said: "Knight Frank has an exceptional combination of heritage, global reach and brand recognition, but also the agility and culture that comes from being a partnership. For me, that creates a significant opportunity in the UAE. I've joined because I see a real opportunity to bring the full strength of Knight Frank's brand, network and expertise to more clients across the UAE." "The UAE residential market is also evolving. It has historically been a very high-octane and transactional market, but I believe the next phase will increasingly reward professionalism, deep market knowledge, strong relationships and consistently high standards of service. Clients are thinking globally and taking a longer-term view of their real estate, and our industry needs to do the same." "My focus is therefore not simply on growing the business, but on building a team and culture that can deliver against those expectations. Knight Frank already has the brand, international network and breadth of expertise. Our opportunity is to bring those strengths together with exceptional people on the ground and build a residential business that clients and colleagues trust for the long term." Meanwhile, at Betterhomes, Harding's role has been taken over by Richard Waind, who has returned to the company.

Lone Star seeks £175m for Aberdeen's Union Square. Lone Star Funds is seeking around £175 million for Aberdeen's Union Square, with Knight Frank appointed to market the shopping Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest. Lone Star Funds is seeking around £175 million for Aberdeen's Union Square, with Knight Frank appointed to market the shopping centre. The 550,000 sq ft property includes an enclosed retail and leisure mall and an adjoining retail park, next to the city's railway and bus stations. The sale process was announced on Knight Frank's website on 17 September. The property adviser said recent lettings and retailer expansions had contributed to a 22% increase in net income over the past 36 months. Marks & Spencer has expanded into a 100,000 sq ft flagship unit on the retail park. TK Maxx and Apple have also increased their space, while new lettings include Ikea, Mango, Schuh, Victoria's Secret, Hobbs, The Entertainer and Wing Stop. Charlie Barke, head of capital markets at Knight Frank, said: "Union Square is a huge success story and its recent lettings, substantial tenant investment, rental trajectory and strong trading platform are exactly what you want to see from a thriving retail asset with strong sustainability credentials." In case you missed it: Developed in 2009, Union Square also houses JD and Next in its retail park, with Zara, H&M and Cineworld among the mall's operators. The £175 million figure is an indicative asking price, rather than an agreed sale value. The announcement did not identify a buyer or give a timetable for completing a transaction.

Knight Frank opens new office as estate agency expands regional network. 15 September 2026 | By Marc da Silva | 0 189 Knight Frank has expanded its regional footprint with the opening of a new office in Derbyshire. The estate agency has opened the branch in Melbourne, giving the firm a new base from which to target residential business across the county. The opening takes Knight Frank's West Midlands network to eight offices as the agency looks to increase its coverage across the region. The new Derbyshire operation will focus on residential sales, including higher-value and country homes. Victoria McLaughlin, newly appointed sales director for Derbyshire, will head up the office. Mitchell Glassey, director for the West Midlands at Knight Frank, said the expansion would extend the firm's reach across a wider geographical area. He said: "We now offer eight offices across the West Midlands which provides our clients with a seamless service across a vast geography, ensuring we are putting our clients' homes to the best quality buyers looking across our region."