Business Design Centre acquired by Excel London

Excel London is the new owner of Islington’s Business Design Centre venue, which houses a number of KBB brand showrooms.

Excel London – which is a subsidiary of ADNEC Group ­– has acquired BDCG Holdings Company, the owner of the Business Design Centre.

The venue features 6,000 sqm of dedicated event and conference space, in addition to over 12,500 sqm of space for showrooms and offices.

The Business Design Centre hosts more than 130 events a year, including the Hotels Interiors Experience (HIX) and the Surface Design Show, and sees over 900,000 visitors annually.

Within the Business Design Centre, several prominent KBB brands have showrooms, such as Haier, Merlyn, Zehnder, Saloni, 1810 Company, BKNC and Fitzroy of London.

During last year’s Hotels Interiors Experience (HIX) event, ceramics brand Villeroy & Boch held the official opening of their new showroom at the venue. In addition, Grohe is set to open their own showroom at the space before the end of 2024.

Aside from its status as an events venue, The Business Design Centre also hosted the first-ever Crufts dog show, in 1891.

Jack Morris CBE, who is retiring as Chairman of Business Design Centre said: “Selling the Business Design Centre, the Morris Family’s flagship business which was founded by my visionary father Sam Morris 40 years ago, was never going to be an easy, emotional decision. But it’s the right time.

“My brothers and I are not getting any younger and now is the moment to hand over the baton to new proprietors who understand and respect what we have built. ADNEC have a long standing and recognised history of building, owning and managing venues and I wish them every success in taking the BDC forward.

“I would also like to thank the wider BDC family – our management team, staff, customers, service partners and business associates – for their loyalty, support, contribution and friendship over the years and wish them well for the future.”

Jeremy Rees, the CEO of Excel, commented: “Since acquiring Excel more than 15 years ago, ADNEC has demonstrated unwavering support for London’s event and business tourism industry. The acquisition of the prestigious BDC further underscores this commitment.

“We look forward to integrating BDC into the ADNEC ecosystem and will continue to invest significantly to ensure both Excel and BDC offer the highest-quality platforms for the events industry, reinforcing London’s status as a leading global events destination.”