Gelar Property: Your Outsourced In-House Property Team
Gelar Property: Your Outsourced In-House Property Team
Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.
When it comes to commercial property advice, few understand the balance between operational efficiency and strategic growth better than Lucy King, Managing Director of Gelar Property. Based in Cardiff, Lucy has built Gelar around one clear vision, to become an extension of every client’s business, offering the experience and insight of an in-house property department without the fixed overheads.
“In a nutshell, we’re an outsourced in-house property function,” Lucy explains. “That means we can either be the entire property team for a business, or we can support an already established existing one. Our approach is collaborative, we become part of the team, working closely with finance, operations and the Board so that everything stays aligned. We’re not an external company looking in, we’re a cog in the wheel of the client’s business.”
Lucy’s inspiration for launching Gelar came after years of working inside large retail property teams at brands such as Halfords and other high street retailers. “I was doing the job internally and started to think: ‘why couldn’t I do this as my own business, offering the same service but to multiple clients?’ There was a clear gap in the market for outsourced in-house expertise, especially for retailers with smaller teams/ portfolios or those looking to scale,” she says.
That insight proved correct. Since its launch, Gelar has gone from strength to strength, working with some of the UK’s best-known brands. “We’ve ended up being quite tenant/ operator biased,” Lucy explains.
“We tend to work for the operators themselves, the retailers, healthcare operators, the franchisees, rather than the landlords.”
The consultancy’s portfolio is diverse spanning retail, food and beverage, healthcare, and veterinary sectors. “We now represent a whole host of different companies including the likes of Linnaeus Veterinary Group, which has around 250 sites and is owned by Mars and Connells/ Countrywide who have a staggering 1600 sites” Lucy adds. “Our work takes us all over the UK, from high street stores to retail parks and trade counters.”
While Gelar’s reach is national, Lucy is proud to be building the business from Wales. “I trained in Cardiff and always wanted to come back. There are so few property consultancies like ours outside of London, so it’s great to be putting Wales on the map,” she says.
“We collaborate with London-based firms when needed, but being based here gives us a real point of difference, especially as more clients are open to flexible, blended working post-Covid.”
Looking ahead, Lucy is focused on sustainable growth. “We’ve had a fantastic year, and I’m excited about what’s next,” she says. “We’ve taken our time to get the fundamentals right; we didn’t want to run before we could walk. Now we’re in our third year, we’re looking at how to scale sensibly, and I’ve spotted another gap in the market that I’m keen to develop.”
What makes Gelar stand out, Lucy believes, is its depth of understanding. “We’ve sat in the client’s seat. We know it’s not just about acquiring a site or renewing a lease; it’s about aligning with the wider business strategy and making sure everyone’s on board. Every client gets a tailored plan from the outset, and that makes our approach genuinely unique.”
With an ever-growing list of national clients, a commitment to collaboration, and roots firmly in Wales, Gelar Property is proving that property expertise delivered with a personal touch is a model that truly works.
Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials
Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast
