Property giant JLL to axe UK jobs as part of company shake-up

The decision affects staff working in London, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh

Property giant JLL has confirmed the closure of its UK planning department, putting at least 25 staff at risk of redundancy. The global real estate firm said it had made the “difficult but necessary decision”, with staff in Bristol, London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh affected.

The company’s UK planning arm is headed up Raoul Veevers, who joined from London-based property consultancy Cluttons in 2022, while Joanna Gabrilatsou heads JLL’s regional planning and town planning division and is based in Manchester.

“We are always reviewing our business to ensure that the delivery of our services meets our strategic priorities and client needs,” the company said in a statement.

“This has resulted in the difficult but necessary decision to propose that some roles within the business could be made redundant. We have strong leadership and teams and remain confident in our ability to deliver continued value for our clients in the market.”

The news comes just weeks after the US-headquartered business appointed a new chief operating officer to drive the firm’s long-term strategy – known as Accelerate 2030.

Paul Morgan previously served as the chief operating officer of real estate management services at JLL. He was also the CEO of workplace management globally, where he was responsible for 53,000 staff in 80 countries.

Christian Ulbrich, president and CEO of JLL, said at the time: “This appointment builds on the success we’ve had unifying our business lines and corporate functions over recent years, which has enabled us to drive stronger financial performance at the top- and bottom-line. Paul is an exceptional leader with a proven track record for making large, complex organisations run more efficiently.”

Last year, JLL’s former UK chief executive Stephanie Hyde, stepped down and was replaced by Matt Richards – former chief executive of capital markets for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

A month after Hyde’s departure, JLL axed nearly 150 jobs within its UK property and asset management arm.