Clarion company director Jason St Pierre meets with London DE management to discuss their fundraising

Earlier this year, company director Jason St Pierre met with heads of London DE, a fine jewellery, gold and gems trading company to discuss their projections and new fundraising project.

Located in the heart of Hatton Garden, London’s famous jewellery district. London DE is the UK’s leading supplier of certified diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and other gemstones.

Philip Spencer founded London DE in 2013. His vision was to build an ethical and sustainable business inspired by his love for gemstones and jewellery. Since then, London DE has expanded internationally and built a trusted network of third-party delivery partners.

In discussion with Phil, he explained how the company had grown and expanded over the last 11 years, further developing offices in the UK, Columbia and the UAE.

“In 2020, we opened our Colombian subsidiary, London DE SAS, in the heart of the emerald district of Bogota. Having a presence in Bogata allows us to ensure we buy our stones and materials from the top of the supply chain and always know the exact source of our materials. This approach promotes transparency in our mine-to-market chain and cuts out any middlemen.”

“In January 2022, we opened our DMCC (Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre) office in the United Arab Emirates, giving us direct access to one of the fastest-growing luxury retail markets in the world.

Building on our unique relationships within the industry, we deliver gemstones and jewellery at a price well below that of traditional high-street retailers. We work exclusively with a small circle of trusted suppliers with whom we have long-standing relationships. Each piece we create is unique, hand-made and never replicated. In addition to our bespoke pieces, we offer a curated range of ready-to-wear jewellery.”

Over the last ten years, London DE have built up several connections across the gold industry to provide investors with a 360-degree, turn-key process of mining and refining pure gold bullion bars and coins.

The company have positioned themselves with multiple key suppliers worldwide, ensuring there is a constant supply of attainable gold which they have managed to purchase for up to -6% discount below LBMA Spot Price.

Having previously undertaken successful seed funding, LDE is now looking to raise further finance to enhance its position in the market by increasing its bulk purchasing of gold for both B2B and B2C.

As a result Clarion is proud to be working with London DE in order to further their extended fundraising goals.

Godwin Developments announces JV Partnership with Canadian Asset Management Company Brookfield

Godwin Developments has agreed a joint-venture equity partnership with Brookfield, the Canadian multinational company. They are one of the world’s largest alternative investment management companies with $850 billion of assets under management, operating in 30+ countries across five continents.

The partnership will focus on creating a portfolio of professionally managed homes across the UK urban and suburban BTR markets. This is also known as SFH (single family housing) and MFH (multi family housing).

Godwin Developments is launching this nationwide build-to-rent (BTR) platform working as an equity investor in the partnership alongside Brookfield. Lesley Roberts (formally of Allsops BTR division) who joined Godwin in 2023 will head up this JV alongside Stephen Pratt, one of the co-founders of Godwin Developments.

The focus is on creating high-quality, professionally managed homes with strong ESG credentials that appeal to residents of all ages and life stages – from singles to sharers, to couples, families and downsizers.

Godwin Developments submits planning for purpose built student accommodation in Bristol

UK property developer Godwin Developments has submitted a planning application for a 101-bed student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in central Bristol.

Located on Newfoundland Road, at the entrance point into the city, the proposed development features a mix of five, six, seven and nine-bedroom clusters with shared amenities and ten accessible studios in a building of seven storeys. The ground floor incorporates shared resident and management spaces fronting onto Newfoundland Road in addition to a private garden, bike storage and service areas to the rear of the scheme. Flexible office space of 84 sq. m. suitable for local businesses in the community has also been provided.

The gateway PBSA development, designed by Bristol-based The Bush Consultancy, is within walking and cycling distance of the city centre and both universities as well as Bristol Temple Meads train station. Residents will also benefit from access to excellent public transport links situated near the scheme.

The high-quality building has been created with sustainability at its core. It will have a BREEAM Excellent rating, with features such as air source heat pumps, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, passive design, and a connection to the District Heat Network. In line with Bristol’s net zero aspirations, it will be car-free, and deliver a 47% reduction in carbon emissions compared to similar developments and over 50% of biodiversity net gain.

Social impact will be delivered through the creation of 12 local jobs when fully operational and a range of employment, learning and training opportunities during construction. In total, the scheme will create over £67m of economic benefit for Bristol and the surrounding areas.

Matt Chandler, Managing Director at Godwin Developments, said: “Bristol suffers from a chronic undersupply of student accommodation. Our proposals will help to alleviate the shortfall of PBSA in the city through an attractive building that benefits from close proximity to the city centre and has good transport connections to the surrounding areas of Bristol, including the universities.

“This highly sustainable scheme not only addresses Bristol’s net zero aspirations but will also reduce energy costs in operation and ensure future residents will be able to benefit from cheaper bills.”

The professional team working alongside Godwin on this application included planning consultants Rapleys, project managers Provelio and engineering practice Craddy’s.