Origins
Our origins began with the establishment of Local London Group plc (LLG), co-founded by our Chairman and founder, Robert Bourne.
LLG responded directly to a growing need in the 80’s for serviced business centres whilst the country saw a dramatic increase in the growth of SMEs. Redeveloping redundant buildings as business centres, LLG grew to accommodate over 1000 small businesses in over 2 million sq. ft. The Group was taken public in 1986 and later sold in 1989 for £120 million.
Investments were made in Marina Development, Self Storage, and the Serviced Apartment sectors. The same philosophy was applied to all these ventures - actively managing the properties to produce high short-term income and cash flow whilst maximising their development potential in the medium and long-term through planning consents.
Bourne Capital was founded according to the same principles, but based on a change in market conditions. The recession of the early 90’s had seen a dramatic stock market fall and a slump in the real estate market. Investors and speculators had made their fortunes through asset stripping and the break-up of property portfolios since the ‘80’s. Robert set out to assemble property assets, applying the same intensive management techniques to generate high income from the Company’s Estates and building longer-term value through the marriage values of adjoining properties and planning consents.