What Sphere Group does

Sphere Group is a privately-held, Birmingham-based full-service mixed-use property development consultancy that orchestrates the entire development lifecycle for institutional capital partners, from initial site acquisition, legal structuring, equity and debt structuring, planning and pre-construction, through to construction procurement, destination branding, stakeholder handover, lettings/sales and exit strategy. The firm is registered in England (company number 15834015) at Alpha Tower, Birmingham, and was rebranded from Court Collaboration in September 2025 under CEO Alex Neale and Managing Director Thomas Taylor. Its operating model is capital-light: a small core team (1–10 employees) supported by a curated network of tier-one advisors and contractors — including Legal & General, PGIM Real Estate, Pension Insurance Corporation, Eldridge Capital Management, Gensler, Weedon Architects, SOM, JRL and Midgard — to deliver build-to-rent, build-to-sell and mixed-use regeneration schemes in the UK Midlands.

The live project portfolio includes the 51-storey One Eastside build-to-rent skyscraper (667 units, £200m forward-funded by PIC — the largest UK forward fund deal at October 2022 close), Edition Birmingham (581 apartments across the Park Residence and Centenary Tower, £236m GDV), Central Heart mixed-use regeneration (up to 5,000 homes, ~400,000 sqm commercial space, ~8,000 jobs), Cherry Street (Grade A office), and St. Philip's Square (600 homes). Revenue is generated through development management fees on each scheme plus equity participation and developer profit share on delivered projects, with deal-level pricing bespoke to each institutional partner. Go-to-market is exclusively direct, enterprise relationship-driven engagement with funding partners and local authorities, supplemented by presence at MIPIM Cannes and PR via Gough Property Communications.

Customer concentration is narrow by design: the firm works with a small set of repeat institutional backers (PIC, PGIM, Eldridge, Legal & General) plus Birmingham City Council as a public-sector partner. Leadership bench is recruited from senior ranks of major commercial real estate, legal and construction firms (GVA Bilfinger, Eversheds Sutherland, Balfour Beatty, CBRE, Knight Frank). Sphere Group self-describes the firm's market positioning as "global partnerships, local developments" with a focus on the UK's second city.

Name

Sphere Group

Legal name

Sphere Group

Website

https://spheregroup.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sphere Group is a Birmingham-based full-service mixed-use property development consultancy that orchestrates site acquisition, planning, financing, construction and exit for institutional capital partners in the UK Midlands. It serves institutional investors, pension funds, build-to-rent operators and local authorities on build-to-rent, build-to-sell and regeneration schemes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Development Consultancy Fees: Full-service development consultancy providing services across the entire development lifecycle including initial site acquisition, legal structuring, equity and debt structuring, planning and pre-construction, buildability advice, construction procurement and delivery, destination branding, stakeholder handover, lettings and sales, and exit strategies for mixed-use development projects.
2. Development Equity and Profit Participation: As developer of major residential projects including One Eastside (forward funded by PIC) and Edition Birmingham (developed with PGIM Real Estate and Eldridge Capital Management), Sphere participates in development gains through equity ownership and developer returns on delivered projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sphere Group is a full-service Birmingham-based mixed-use development consultancy that manages the entire property development lifecycle for institutional investors, pension funds, and developers. Services span initial site acquisition, legal structuring, equity and debt structuring, planning and pre-construction, buildability advice, construction procurement and delivery, destination branding, stakeholder handover, lettings and sales, and exit strategies. The firm acts as developer/co-developer on flagship schemes including One Eastside (Build-to-Rent) and Edition Birmingham (luxury Build-to-Sell), generating revenue through development consultancy fees and equity participation on delivered projects.

Product overview

Sphere Group is an award-winning full-service Birmingham-based mixed-use development consultancy operating as a unified property development platform. The company offers end-to-end development services spanning Initial Site Acquisition, Legal Structuring, Equity and Debt Structuring, Planning and Pre-Construction, Buildability Advice, Construction Procurement and Delivery, Destination Branding, Stakeholder Handover, Lettings & Sales, and Exit Strategies. The current live project portfolio includes One Eastside (51-storey Build-to-Rent skyscraper with 667 units), Edition Birmingham (46-storey Build-to-Sell development with 581 luxury apartments and wellness amenities), Central Heart (mixed-use regeneration scheme), Cherry Street (Grade A office development), and St. Philip's Square (600-home residential scheme).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One Eastside A 51-storey, 155m Build-to-Rent residential skyscraper delivering 667 apartments with over 20,000 sq ft of internal residents' amenity including co-working spaces, cinema room, gym, podcast suite, and 51st floor sky lounge with outdoor terrace. Being delivered for Pension Insurance Corporation under a £200m forward fund; this was the largest forward fund deal in the UK when it closed in October 2022. Completion scheduled for Summer 2026.
• Edition Birmingham A premium Build-to-Sell residential development comprising 581 one and two-bedroom apartments across two connected towers — a 15-storey Park Residence and a 46-storey Centenary Tower at 150m. Features over 14,000 sq ft of amenity including Birmingham's first residential swimming pool, gym, yoga studio, co-working spaces, and a 138m climbing wall on the 44th–45th floors. £236m GDV with a £20m contribution to local council; developed with PGIM Real Estate and Eldridge Capital Management.
• Central Heart A major mixed-use regeneration opportunity in Birmingham city centre unlocking underutilised retail and office space. Expected to deliver up to 5,000 new homes, ~400,000 sqm of commercial floorspace (~8,000 jobs), and 7 hectares of new public space, strategically located at the gateway to HS2 Curzon Street Station. Sphere Group is acting as development partner with Legal & General for the regeneration of the former Rackhams building.
• Cherry Street A landmark Grade A office development at the junction of Cherry Street and Temple Street in Birmingham's prime business core, extending to approximately 150,000 sq ft NIA, providing super-prime, future-ready workspace for national and global occupiers. Backed by Legal & General and designed by Gensler; targeting BREEAM Excellent and 5 Star NABERS ratings.
• St. Philip's Square A residential development providing 600 new homes with high-class amenity, located one minute from Birmingham New Street Station and five minutes from the future HS2 Curzon Street Station, offering views of the Grade One listed St. Philip's Cathedral. Working alongside Legal & General and Gensler.
• Full-Service Mixed-Use Development Consultancy End-to-end development management service spanning initial site acquisition, legal structuring, equity and debt structuring, planning and pre-construction, buildability advice, construction procurement and delivery, destination branding, stakeholder handover, lettings and sales, and exit strategies — delivered to institutional investors, pension funds, asset managers and local authority partners.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Select PropertycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic sales partner for Edition Birmingham, responsible for selling and marketing the residential units as part of a strategic partnership with Sphere Group.
• Legal & GeneralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for St. Philip's Square and Cherry Street projects. Legal & General is backing these major Birmingham city-centre development opportunities alongside Sphere Group and Gensler.
• GenslercoreTechnology or IntegrationArchitect and design partner for multiple projects including St. Philip's Square, Cherry Street, and Birmingham Central Heart. Leading design work for these major regeneration schemes.
• Midgard LtdmajorOthersMain contractor appointed to deliver Edition Birmingham's 581 contemporary one and two-bedroom homes.
• JRLmajorOthersMain contractor for One Eastside development. JRL is delivering the 51-storey, 667-apartment build-to-rent skyscraper.
• Weedon ArchitectsmajorTechnology or IntegrationMain architect for Edition Birmingham, leading the design of the 46-storey development alongside support from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)majorTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineering partner for Edition Birmingham, providing structural engineering expertise for the 46-storey tower.
• CBREmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDebt advisor for One Eastside project. Previously, Development Director Stuart Eustace worked at CBRE providing consultancy on major BTR transactions.
• PorcelanosaminorOthersSupplier of kitchens and bathrooms for One Eastside and Edition Birmingham projects.
• CadenceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject manager for Edition Birmingham development.
• TRSTminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDebt advisor for Edition Birmingham project.
• Birmingham City UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSphere Group runs a mentoring programme with Birmingham City University, where BSc Quantity Surveying students work alongside the team on dissertation projects connected to One Eastside.
• McAuliffeminorOthersDemolition contractor for One Eastside project.
• MGACminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject manager for One Eastside development.
• PEMminorOthersManaging agent for Edition Birmingham residential development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stanhope: UK commercial and mixed-use developer behind major London schemes. Comparable as a UK development management firm delivering complex, high-value projects with institutional capital partners.
• Mount Anvil: London-focused residential developer delivering complex city-centre schemes with institutional capital partners. Comparable developer of prime urban residential product with a similar development management and equity participation approach.
• Argent: Birmingham-focused real estate developer and placemaker behind major regeneration schemes including Brindleyplace and Paradise Birmingham. Directly comparable as a regional UK city developer with a similar institutional capital model and placemaking focus in the same city.
• Quintain: UK BTR specialist developer behind Wembley Park, focused on institutional capital partnerships. Comparable to Sphere's BTR model (One Eastside) and the institutional capital deployment approach used at Sphere.
• Telford Homes: UK residential developer focused on London and the South East, institutional capital-backed. Comparable developer of urban residential product with a similar institutional sales model and forward-fund structure.
• Helical: UK real estate developer focused on London office and mixed-use repositioning. Comparable as a smaller UK developer working on landmark city-centre schemes with sophisticated capital partners.
• Ballymore: UK and Ireland mixed-use developer behind large-scale waterfront and city regeneration schemes. Comparable mixed-use development model with similar institutional capital structure and high-rise residential delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Lendlease: Global urban regeneration developer with UK presence including Birmingham. Comparable as a broad incumbent in urban regeneration with mixed-use placemaking focus and institutional capital relationships.
• Related Argent: Joint venture combining US-based Related Companies with UK developer Argent. Comparable as a mixed-use regeneration specialist with institutional capital backing and large-scale placemaking expertise across UK cities.
• Legal & General Capital: Sphere's capital partner on Central Heart, Cherry Street and St. Philip's Square; also a major UK developer and BTR investor. Comparable as a broad incumbent in UK real estate development with overlapping Birmingham exposure and similar BTR / mixed-use focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sphere Group