What Alchemy Asset Management does

Alchemy Asset Management is a London-headquartered boutique commercial real estate asset and development management firm founded in 2012 by David Hughes and Guy Bishop. The firm advises institutional and private property owners on UK office and mixed-use assets, delivering an integrated service spanning asset management, development management, town planning, financial modelling, and ESG/sustainability integration, with a stated specialism in office-to-residential change of use. Since 2013 it has completed 36 projects split roughly evenly between London and the rest of the UK, managing approximately £1.2 billion of assets across 2,500,000 sq ft, securing 1.1 million sq ft of planning consents and refurbishing or redeveloping 915,000 sq ft of buildings.

The firm operates with an unusually small team of two directors, meaning Hughes and Bishop personally lead every engagement. Hughes focuses on planning, refurbishment delivery and town planning system navigation, drawing on prior DTZ experience and a predecessor asset management business founded in 2004; Bishop focuses on investment, leasing and property management, bringing 15 years at CBRE plus Deloitte investment advisory experience. Their combined 65 years of experience is the firm's core selling point, and the duo has been recognised with BCO Regional Awards (2022, 2023), the Office Agents Society Award (2023) and the Thames Valley Property Awards Development of the Year (2022). On flagship projects the firm has secured BREEAM Excellent, WELL Platinum, WiredScore Platinum, Fitwel, ActiveScore Gold and EPC B credentials.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project and mandate basis, with institutional partners including Nuveen, CBRE Investment Management, Patrizia, Tristan Capital Partners, abrdn, Knight Dragon, Invesco, Castlecap, The Goldsmiths Company and Hargreaves Properties. The go-to-market motion is entirely relationship-driven, with the two directors leveraging personal networks to secure long-dated engagements. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, and the firm is founder-owned with no parent company.

Name

Alchemy Asset Management

Legal name

Alchemy Asset Management Limited

Website

https://alchemyam.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alchemy Asset Management is a London-based boutique firm founded in 2012 that provides asset management, development management, town planning, and financial modelling services to institutional and private UK commercial property owners, operating with two founding directors across offices and mixed-use assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Asset Management

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitality (Hotels & Resorts) Asset Management (BPAJAMAE)

Keywords

• Asset management services
• Development management
• Commercial real estate advisory
• Town planning services
• Office refurbishment

Headquarters

HQ city

London

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Asset Management Fees: Alchemy Asset Management generates revenue through professional asset management and development management fees. As a boutique firm advising institutional and private property owners on property investments, the company likely earns management fees based on assets under management and/or development/project fees. The firm is described as working with investors to create excellent returns through active asset management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Alchemy Asset Management is a boutique firm providing asset management, development management, town planning advisory, and financial modelling services to institutional and private commercial property owners in the UK. The firm manages approximately £1.2 billion of assets across 2,500,000 sq ft and specialises in office refurbishment, redevelopment, and office-to-residential conversion projects. Services are delivered under director-level oversight with ESG principles embedded throughout each project lifecycle.

Product overview

Alchemy Asset Management operates as a unified property asset management and development advisory firm, offering integrated services that span asset management, development management, town planning, financial modeling, and ESG integration. The core offering is built around two directors—David Hughes (project delivery, town planning) and Guy Bishop (investment, leasing)—who combine approximately 65 years of combined experience. Their service portfolio includes asset management business plans, opportunity identification, financial modelling, negotiation, planning consultation, and full development management with ESG embedded throughout. A key differentiator is their specialist office-to-residential conversion expertise, which leverages Permitted Development and full planning routes to maximise value from commercial properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asset Management Services Full-service property asset management including creation of business plans, property management oversight, leasing initiatives, and strategic sale execution for commercial and residential properties. Targeted at institutional and private property owners seeking active asset management.
• Development Management End-to-end development management for refurbishments and new developments, integrating ESG considerations throughout the project lifecycle with director-level oversight. Targeted at property owners undertaking complex refurbishment or redevelopment projects.
• Town Planning Advisory Planning consultation drawing on market insights to enhance asset value through redevelopment, repurposing, or change of use, including office-to-residential conversions. Targeted at property owners seeking to maximise planning potential of their assets.
• Financial Modelling Investment opportunity appraisal and financial modelling to assess likely returns over a business plan's hold period, working closely with investors to review and refine models. Targeted at property investors and fund managers evaluating commercial real estate opportunities.
• Office-to-Residential Conversion Specialised expertise in converting office buildings to residential use, maximising change of use potential for older and less well-located buildings via Permitted Development and full planning routes. Targeted at owners of office assets seeking to extract residential value.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36 projects completed since 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm providing asset services, capital markets, leasing, and valuation. Overlaps with Alchemy's repositioning advisory for institutional clients across UK and European markets.
• Savills: International real estate advisor with deep UK roots offering commercial investment, asset management, planning, and development advisory. Competes with Alchemy in UK commercial repositioning mandates for institutional and private owners.
• CBRE: World's largest commercial real estate services firm offering integrated investment management, agency, and advisory services. Directly competes with Alchemy for institutional mandates from CBRE Investment Management and similar clients but at vastly broader scope and scale.
• Knight Frank: Global real estate consultancy with strong UK presence offering asset management, agency, valuation, and advisory services to institutional clients. Overlaps with Alchemy on asset management mandates for major UK institutional investors but at far greater scale.
• JLL: Global real estate services firm offering capital markets, agency, asset management, and advisory services. Competes with Alchemy for institutional mandates across the full lifecycle but operates as a full-service platform rather than boutique specialist.
• Avison Young: Global commercial real estate services firm with UK operations in capital markets, landlord leasing, and occupier services. Competes for institutional mandates where integrated, multi-disciplinary advisory is required.

Direct peers

• Montagu Evans: UK-based, partner-owned real estate advisory firm providing planning, development, and asset management services to institutional investors. Closely comparable in boutique structure, planning-led service offering, and institutional client overlap.
• Gerald Eve: UK-headquartered partner-led commercial real estate advisory firm offering asset management, valuation, and transactional services to institutional clients. Closely comparable to Alchemy in boutique positioning, UK focus, and institutional client base.
• Bidwells: UK-focused property consultancy with planning, development, and asset management capabilities serving institutional and private owners. Directly comparable in boutique positioning, integrated planning/development focus, and UK regional coverage.

Regional players

• Lambert Smith Hampton: UK-focused commercial property consultancy (now part of JLL) offering investment, agency, and asset management services primarily to UK clients. Comparable in regional UK market focus and asset management practice, though part of a broader platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance21 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Alchemy Asset Management