The 100% acquisition of London’s Portland Design last week by one of the world’s top architecture/design firms, Perkins+Will, will have no significant impact on Portland’s current business or duty free and travel retail projects according to Managing Director Ibrahim Ibrahim.

Privately held US house, Perkins+Will, did not disclose the financial terms of the deal and while it is a full acquisition, Ibrahim, who remains MD, tells TRBusiness: “It is business as usual at Portland, with benefits. Portland has a strong brand of its own so it will remain a distinct entity pursuing its typically more brand- and consumer-focused projects.

“On the other hand, consumer environments are becoming more important to Perkins+Will’s clients across multiple sectors and practice areas. This means Perkins+Will will call on Portland’s expertise more frequently and earlier on, with client engagement extending well beyond the consultation phase.”

CROSS-FERTILIZATION WITH NO JOB CUTS

Perkins+Will has 24 offices worldwide and President and CEO Phil Harrison, comments: “Our clients will benefit from Portland’s consumer insights, creativity, and strategic thinking, and Portland’s clients will benefit from Perkins+Will’s global reach and broad architectural, design, and planning expertise.”

In this context Portland should, in theory, see its business expand, and it says that there will be no streamlining or job cuts as a result of its acquisition. Founded in 1987, Portland has 40 employees who have been under Ibrahim’s leadership since 2007.

On DF&TR, Ibrahim notes: “Travel retail will remain a key area for Portland to pursue, and we will continue to do so as part of Perkins+Will with flexibility and independence.

“We only see an upside to being part of a larger complementary entity with a global transportation practice whose portfolio ranges from large-scale planning to terminal and station designs.

On current market trends, he says: “Our experience shows us that customers are increasingly responding to personalisation and hybrid spaces where traditional categories have been broken down and lines have been blurred. So, for example, a grocery store that is also a restaurant and a cooking school, or a fashion store that puts on yoga classes and knows a customer’s personal preferences.”

Portland clients, past and present, include Aelia (Lagardère), British Land, CNN, Diageo, Dubai Duty Free, Dufry, HMS Host, Heathrow Airport, St Pancras International, and Westfield.

In the transportation sphere, Perkins+Will’s projects have included a large number of rail stations in the US as well as airports such as Beirut International, Chicago O-Hare Airport, Dubai International’s Concourses 2 and 3 and New York JFK.