68 KING WILLIAM STREET, LONDON, UK
Repositioning a landmark City of London asset
London, UK | 2019 - 2021
Development Positioning · Brand Strategy · Mixed-Use Repositioning
68 King William Street is a prominent heritage building at the northern end of London Bridge, positioned at the gateway to the City of London.
Following its acquisition by Black Mountain Partners and Ares Management in 2019, the building underwent a significant repositioning and refurbishment programme, transforming the existing asset into a contemporary mixed-use proposition combining premium workspace with destination dining, fitness and rooftop hospitality.
Matt worked as part of the Black Mountain Partners development team through the acquisition and repositioning period, contributing to the definition, articulation and market presentation of the development proposition.
Destination Positioning
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Mixed-use repositioning
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Brand strategy
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Destination Positioning · Mixed-use repositioning · Brand strategy ·
THE CHALLENGE
Reframing an existing asset for a new generation of occupiers
The opportunity was not to create a development from scratch, but to reposition an existing landmark building for a changing City of London market.
The historic architecture provided identity and presence, but the refurbished building needed a clearer contemporary proposition capable of bringing together its different components: flexible office space, food and beverage, fitness, rooftop hospitality and its highly visible location at the entrance to the City.
The challenge was therefore both strategic and communicative: how could the development’s physical transformation be translated into a coherent market proposition and identity?
OUR ROLE
Working within the developer team from acquisition through repositioning
Matt worked directly with Black Mountain Partners founder Oliver Corlette and alongside the Development Director, Project Manager, analysts, leasing specialists and wider consultant team.
The role evolved alongside the project, spanning early acquisition materials, development positioning and the subsequent creation and implementation of the project’s market identity.
Key areas of involvement included:
contributing to the positioning, naming and development narrative;
supporting the preparation and presentation of acquisition and due-diligence materials;
coordinating the creative agency selection process;
appointing and managing Wordsearch as the project’s branding agency;
overseeing development of the visual identity and marketing proposition;
coordinating photography, sales and leasing collateral, digital communications and site hoarding; and
working with leasing and tenant teams to integrate the building’s different uses into a coherent proposition.
The objective was not simply to market available office space, but to communicate the repositioned asset as a more complete workplace and lifestyle destination.
FROM BUILDING TO PROPOSITION
Connecting heritage, workplace and lifestyle
The eventual identity positioned 68 King William Street around the idea of “The Centre of Attention”, drawing on the building’s prominent architecture and gateway location.
The visual language itself took cues from the geometry of the historic façade, while the wider communications strategy brought together four principal themes: the building, work, lifestyle amenities and the surrounding City neighbourhood.
This translated the refurbishment into a broader proposition: contemporary workspace behind a period façade, supported by breakout spaces and roof terraces, alongside dining, fitness and rooftop hospitality.
The resulting brand system was then developed across the website, leasing brochure, photography, digital applications and physical hoarding, creating a consistent identity for the repositioned asset.
THE OUTCOME
A repositioned asset taken successfully to market
The refurbishment and repositioning created a substantially different proposition from the asset originally acquired in 2019, combining upgraded workspace with a stronger hospitality and amenity offer.
Black Mountain Partners and Ares subsequently sold 68 King William Street in 2021 following an unsolicited offer, bringing their original business plan to an earlier conclusion than anticipated. Contemporary market reporting placed the transaction at approximately £130 million.
For GHP, the project demonstrates the role that positioning and brand strategy can play alongside physical refurbishment: defining what an asset is becoming, creating a narrative around that transformation, and translating the development strategy into a proposition that occupiers, partners and the wider market can understand.
Scope
Project: 68 King William Street
Location: City of London, UK
Client: Black Mountain Partners (developer) / Ares Management (investment partner)
Period: 2019–2021
Role: Development Positioning & Brand Strategy
Asset: Mixed-use office, hospitality, fitness and leisure
GHP Expertise: Development Positioning · Repositioning · Brand Strategy · Mixed-Use Real Estate