Grosvenor is a privately owned property group with offices in 18 cities. It has four regional investment and development businesses in Britain & Ireland, the Americas, Australia and Asia Pacific; an international fund management business, which operates across these markets and in continental Europe; and a portfolio of indirect investments.
Grosvenor’s history began with the marriage of Mary Davies and Sir Thomas Grosvenor in 1677. Mary had inherited 500 acres of land north of the Thames to the west of the City of London, which remained largely untouched by the Grosvenors until the 1720s, when they developed the northern part - now known as Mayfair – around Grosvenor Square. A few generations later, in the 1820s, their focus moved south - to what is now Belgravia - developing Eaton Square, Chester Square and other famous addresses. Later in the 19th century, the area of Pimlico was developed; this was sold in 1953.
Although Grosvenor is often identified with its core asset, the London estate, which is now managed within Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, much of the present-day investment and development portfolio is in other parts of Britain and Ireland. International expansion began in the 1950s, in Canada and later in the United States – hence businesses in the Americas. In the 1960s the businesses expanded into Australia and, in the 1990s, into Asia Pacific Also in the 1990s, Grosvenor expanded into Continental Europe, where most current activity relates to Grosvenor’s fund management business. This was formally established in 2005 and now encompasses the Americas, Asia Pacific (including Australia) and Europe (including the UK).