Eris celebrates 16 years of successful partnership and progress
On our 16th anniversary year, we at Eris Property Group have many successes and milestones to be proud of. Our aim to be the first-choice property services and development group has been met and exceeded through service excellence and an innovative nature to make us the market leader in the industry. 16 years of partnership and progress for us include extending our footprint on the continent; delivering world-class retail, industrial and office development, providing much-needed affordable student accommodation amid a dire shortage of beds; being exposed to best worldwide practices via our strategic business affiliations; and providing tangible work opportunities to mitigate youth unemployment, to name a few. Says Barend de Loor, our CEO: "Our services may be tailored for the property industry, but our business is about the people that shape our future. These are the people that develop and uphold the very principles that we strive for in support of our vision to be the industry leader."
Over the past 16 years, our reach and influence has increased significantly in the industry. "Back in the day, the property industry and its contribution to the economy of South Africa was much smaller than what it is today. With our integrated business model, Eris has benefited from this growth in all our divisions. This has created many opportunities not only for our investors, but also for our staff in their career outcomes," adds Barend.
Since 2008, being at the forefront of investment and development has meant that we continue to be a major contributor to the property industry - helping to grow the industry with the application of our knowledge, skills and capital. Michelle Small, our Senior Retail Leasing Manager says: "The company has grown into a real estate force to be reckoned with; not only do we offer a full-service spectrum of corporate real estate services, but we do it with advanced technology. Hugh Basel, our Executive Director of New Business adds: "Our biggest contributions to the industry have been our service delivery and quality developments, which have had a lasting and positive change on several different skylines."
Another team member believes that we have made an impact in a different, very significant way. "Sixteen years ago, student accommodation wasn't even a consideration. Today, we are one of the top developers and managers of student accommodation in South Africa. We are leading the industry in this asset class and this shows how Eris can adapt to change in market conditions," says Johan Janse van Vuuren, our Executive Head of Student Accommodation. Case in point, we launched two premium student accommodation projects this year: Units on Jorissen (UoJ) in Johannesburg and Units on Cape Station (UoCS) in Cape Town, with another, Units on Birbeck in Kimberley opening in 2025. At UOCS, the 3,000 student accommodation beds that we recently added to the Cape Station Precinct make it Africa's largest single-phase Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) project.
But the impact that we have on the industry starts within the company - and throughout the years, our company culture has also adapted to align to the vision of our business. Explains Barend: "We believe that the success of our company is dependent on our client centricity, people, reputation and capital," he says. "It is the unwritten rule that we all live by driving our core values which include excellence, diversity, inclusivity, integrity and innovation. Our company's culture, specifically its owner manager culture, has strengthened over the years in line with our vision to be the industry leader through the sustained pursuit of client satisfaction, the innovation of products and services and the early adoption of technology. That is an achievement we can all be proud of," he adds.
Continuing to reflect on the industry as whole, Johan says: "Flexibility in management and staff have made us resilient through this 16-year period. Efficiencies have also been increased by employing more tech-driven solutions throughout our company; without which student accommodation would not be able to be managed viably." Barend echoes his sentiments: "The industry is much more sophisticated today, compared to 16 years ago. We have had to respond to this by ensuring that we meet the demands of our investors, tenants and all other participants in the industry. This requires dedication to investment in our systems and people. Adds Michelle: "Sustainability and environmental considerations have become a driving force in the real estate sector, and this not only allows real estate developers and managers to recognise our responsibility, but enables us to align our policies to provide more efficient solutions."
We celebrate the numerous milestones achieved over the years. Big successes include our cross-border activities into Botswana, Malawi, Ghana and Mauritius, and the many signature developments that we have been completed throughout the continent, which add value to the daily lives of its occupants. Says Barend: "We have also been privileged to be part of the Momentum Metropolitan Group for the past 14 years. As the anchor investor in the Eris business, they have been extremely supportive of our growth aspirations and having them as a core shareholder has certainly shaped the history and is likely to also shape the future of where we go."
Being a future-forward company also means mitigating problems. "The key to addressing any potential business or industry challenges is to anticipate them and come up with practical solutions. We have set up several internal forums to look at these various roadblocks individually and have dedicated people looking for responses to these roadblocks," says Hugh.
In the past two years, we have made several strategic moves, such as our partnership with global real estate advisor, Avison Young, which has had a positive impact on both businesses, their customers and the industry. Explains Barend: "As globalisation continues unabated, it is necessary to position our business for this. We can share opportunities but also learn from Avison Young on best worldwide practices and knowledge. We are only at the start of this journey and have high aspirations that this initiative will serve us well!" Hugh concurs: "Getting exposure to the best of practice in the US, UK and European markets has been the biggest impact to date of the Avison Young association. We hope that over time, we would start getting transaction leads due to the international affiliation, thus enabling us to grow our SA client base - and this is already beginning to happen."
Another big move for our company was expanding onto the African continent. "Although extending into Africa has had its challenges, we understand that having the right local partners makes the ventures successful," says Johan. "Growing successful partnerships outside our borders with organisations with different cultures and languages to enable the raising capital for investment in property developments, delivering successful projects and creating in-country real estate teams has been the most exciting experience," he continues. Barend agrees: "For me, the most rewarding part about the expansion on the continent is the fact that we have found like-minded partners with similar aspirations and goals. I have enjoyed working with our partners, and value these relationships tremendously." Says Michelle: "The rest of Africa is always looking at South Africa as a benchmark for development and being an industry player with experience on the continent is something that we can be proud of."
3 key focus areas for Eris for the next decade
Barend de Loor shares his insights:
- Leverage skills and knowledge
Focus and dedication lead to success. For our business to grow, we need to scale up leveraging our skills, knowledge and capital.
- Find new products and opportunities
Although access to new capital is a key focus area, we must increase our focus on finding new products and opportunities, so that we can successfully apply the capital to these products.
- Continue to expand our reach to more countries
This will lead to further growth and opportunity for those that align with this vision.
Looking slightly longer term, Barend believes that: "We need to find comfort in rapid change. The more adaptable we are, the more likely we are to succeed." Concludes Johan: "Through the stepping stones that have been placed by past and current leadership, we are able to expand further into Africa and further abroad, with a wider range of asset classes, which could have us evolve from an African company to a global one."
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