THE largest international firm of property consultants operating in the West Country, King Sturge, has won the industry's top award for its property investment team.

The firm's investment team for the region, which has completed more than £500 million in property investments in the past 12 months, shared the accolade at the Property Week Awards with colleagues from the King Sturge national investment network.

The citation for the award Property Investment Agency Team of the Year singled out the £235 million project to acquire a portfolio of shopping centres for Stannifer, in which the team played a major part.

Operating through King Sturge's offices in Swindon, Bristol, Bath and Exeter, the investment team is the largest in the region.

Partner and team Leader John Payne said: "This award is judged by our peers in the property industry on the basis of both performance and client-service, so we were delighted to be the winners.

"With large investment funds now taking renewed interest in large-scale purchases, at a time when there are fewer such properties available, our policy of having a full scale specialist investment team working within the region is paying dividends."

n Kings of King . . . from left, Olly Paine, John Payne, Roger Lawrence, and Simon Bennett of King Sturge