C&W, PPR Form Research Alliance

Together the companies plan to publish white papers on a variety of topics for real estate professionals across the world. The firms will also look into creating new research products and analytical tools.

"We aim to provide our clients best-in-class market knowledge and analysis," says Maria Sicola, executive managing director of Research, for Cushman & Wakefield. "A research alliance with PPR adds a new dimension to the research services we are able to offer our clients across global markets and property sectors."

PPR's CEO Bret Wilkerson went on to say, "Integrating Cushman & Wakefield's comprehensive market knowledge with PPR's real estate analytics will significantly improve our ability to help our clients with decisions at the asset level."

Prior to this former alliance, Sicola tells GlobeSt.com, "We have purchased some of PPRs reports and used some of their data and forecasts in our client work. We have also exchanged many ideas about developing analytical tools and indices, writing papers etc." Now via the alliance, "We are going to be focused on achieving those objectives."

A spokesperson for C&W tells GlobeSt.com that the alliance with PPR was in the works long before 71.5% of C&W was purchased by Italian investment trust Ifil for $625 million; and the two are completely unrelated. Additionally Sicola says there are no plans in the works to purchase PPR, as C&W often does with affiliate partners. In February, C&W purchased the last 20% of it's South American partner Semco Group.