What Whelan Commercial Ltd does

Whelan Commercial Ltd is a traditional commercial property consultancy headquartered in Belfast's Scottish Provident Building, operating exclusively across Northern Ireland (all six counties). For over 30 years the firm has specialised in hospitality and licensed premises — pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, takeaways, and intoxicating liquor licences — alongside conventional commercial agency for office, retail, industrial and land properties, investment brokerage, and a growing property asset & facilities management practice. Revenue is generated through three principal streams: transaction commission on acquisition, disposal and letting mandates; professional services fees for RICS Red Book valuations, landlord-and-tenant work, dispute resolution and arbitration, rating appeals, and compulsory purchase advisory; and recurring managed-services fees for lease administration, rent and service charge collection, and service charge reconciliations across a substantial commercial portfolio under management. Distribution is direct and field-based: three named senior contacts (Brian Nixon, William Stewart, Sam French) act as primary client-facing points across every service line, supported by a property listing website (whelan.co.uk) and regular press-release-style news updates of completed transactions.

The firm's underlying technology stack is conventional rather than differentiated — industry-standard financial accounting software, database packages, and development/investment appraisal tools — with no proprietary platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no API surface. Competitive positioning rests on regulatory credentials (RICS Valuation Faculty membership across the team; Sam French is one of only a handful of RICS-approved arbitrators in NI), deep specialisation in Northern Ireland's distinct liquor licensing regime, an in-house database covering thousands of historical market deals, and panel valuer status with all major NI banking groups. The client base spans sole-trader publicans through corporate hospitality operators (FoodCo Ltd) and institutional counterparties (Glendola Holdings, Carlton Hotels, the major banks), with no publicly disclosed revenue, headcount, or funding data.

Name

Whelan Commercial Ltd

Legal name

Whelan Commercial Ltd

Website

https://whelan.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Whelan Commercial Ltd is a Belfast-based, 30-year-old commercial property consultancy serving all of Northern Ireland, specialising in hospitality and licensed premises agency, RICS valuations, investment brokerage, and recurring property asset management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Property Consultancy

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management (BPAJAGAG), Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage (BPAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial property consultancy
• Hospitality property brokerage
• Licensed premises sales
• Commercial property valuation
• Property asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

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. Acquisition & Disposal Agency Commission: Commission earned on the sale and letting of commercial properties, including hospitality venues (pubs, bars, restaurants), licensed premises, offices, retail, industrial, and land. Properties listed include bars, restaurants, takeaways, hotels, liquor licences, and development sites across Northern Ireland.
2. Professional Services Fees: Fees for valuation and appraisal services (including RICS Red Book valuations for secured lending, balance sheet, taxation, CGT, and IHT purposes), landlord and tenant services, dispute resolution (including arbitration), rating services, compulsory purchase and compensation advisory, and development consultancy.
3. Investment Brokerage Commission: Full investment brokerage service identifying and acquiring opportunities on behalf of private and corporate investors, earning commission on transaction completion.
4. Property Asset & Facilities Management Fees: Ongoing fees for managing commercial property portfolios, including lease administration, rent and service charge administration, financial accounting, debtor and creditor control, periodic asset review, service charge year-end reconciliations, and external auditing of service charge expenditure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Whelan Commercial Ltd is a Belfast-based commercial property consultancy operating across Northern Ireland. The firm delivers sales, lettings, and acquisitions of commercial properties including pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, offices, retail, industrial, and land. It also provides RICS-compliant valuations, landlord and tenant services, dispute resolution/arbitration, rating services, compulsory purchase advisory, and ongoing property asset and facilities management.

Product overview

Whelan Commercial Ltd is a traditional commercial property consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of property services. The core offering consists of Commercial Agency Services encompassing Acquisition & Disposals, Development Consultancy, Leisure & Licensed, and Investment services. Supporting professional services include Valuation & Appraisal, Landlord & Tenant, Dispute Resolution, Rating, and Compulsory Purchase & Compensation. Property Asset & Facilities Management services are provided alongside Rent & Service Charge Administration. The company operates a property search platform with category-specific listings for Office, Retail, Industrial, Hospitality, Investment, Land, and Residential properties across Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acquisition and Disposals Comprehensive agency service for buying, selling, and letting commercial properties across retail, office, industrial, hospitality, and licensed sectors, delivered to private and corporate clients across Northern Ireland.
• Development Consultancy Confidential professional advice on commercial development projects from conception to completion, including development and investment appraisals using industry standard software.
• Leisure and Licensed Premises Brokerage Specialist consultancy for the hospitality and leisure industry including sales, lettings, acquisitions, valuations, rating, and marketing of intoxicating liquor licences across Northern Ireland.
• Investment Brokerage Full investment brokerage service identifying and acquiring commercial property opportunities of all lot sizes on behalf of private and corporate investors across Northern Ireland.
• Valuation and Appraisal RICS Red Book property valuation services for secured lending, balance sheet, and taxation purposes (CGT and IHT), conducted by qualified surveyors who serve as panel valuers for all major banking groups in Northern Ireland.
• Landlord and Tenant Services Professional services for both landlords and tenants covering retail, office, and industrial properties, including lease administration, negotiations, rent reviews, and lease renewals.
• Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years operating as a specialist leisure and licensed property consultancy in Northern Ireland
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FoodCo LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Whelan acted on behalf of FoodCo Ltd to acquire multiple hospitality businesses including Jamaica Blue (Cornmarket, Belfast), Jamaica Blue (Forestside shopping centre, Belfast), and Muffin Break (Buttercrane Centre, Newry). This represents an ongoing advisory relationship for acquisition transactions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lambert Smith Hampton: UK-wide commercial property consultancy offering agency, valuation, and asset management across office, retail, industrial, and hospitality. Comparable because it provides the same full-service commercial property offering as Whelan but at national scale, including in Northern Ireland.
• Knight Frank: Global property consultancy with UK-wide commercial agency, valuation and investment teams including hospitality and licensed trade expertise. Comparable to Whelan in serving commercial property investors and occupiers across multiple asset classes including licensed premises.
• Cushman & Wakefield Ireland: Global real estate services firm with dedicated UK and Ireland practice offering agency, valuation, investment advisory, and asset management. Comparable to Whelan for serving cross-border and institutional commercial property clients in the island of Ireland.
• Eddisons: UK commercial property consultancy providing agency, valuation, investment, and property management across multiple commercial sectors. Comparable to Whelan in offering full-service commercial property advice with licensed trade and hospitality expertise in the UK and Ireland.
• CBRE Ireland: Global commercial real estate services firm operating in Ireland, providing agency, investment, valuation and asset management. Comparable to Whelan for institutional commercial property mandates on the island of Ireland.
• Savills (NI): Global real estate advisor with a Belfast office offering commercial agency, valuation, and investment services across office, retail, industrial, and hospitality sectors. Directly comparable to Whelan's full-service commercial property offering.
• Colliers UK & Ireland: Global commercial real estate services firm with significant UK and Ireland operations providing agency, investment, valuation, and property management. Directly comparable service mix to Whelan across all commercial property sectors.

Direct peers

• Tughans: Belfast commercial property and legal-related consultancy offering agency, investment, valuation and licensed trade advice across Northern Ireland. Closely comparable regional peer serving the same NI hospitality and commercial property client base as Whelan.
• McConnell Chartered Surveyors: Northern Ireland commercial property firm offering agency, valuation, and professional services across office, retail, industrial, and licensed trade. Most directly comparable as a similarly sized regional NI peer competing head-to-head with Whelan.
• Osborne King: Belfast-based commercial property consultancy providing agency, investment, valuation, landlord and tenant services across office, retail, industrial and hospitality in Northern Ireland. Directly comparable as a regional NI peer with similar full-service offering to Whelan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whelan-commercial-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Whelan Commercial Ltd