MOVERS & SHAKERS


ACQUISITIONS


OPENINGS


LAUNCHES Who grows there?


If you’re not growing, you’re shrinking – and there’s certainly growth in estate agency, even in these tough times.


New iN NottiNg Hill


Douglas & Gordon has opened a new sales and lettings office in Notting Hill, its first new office since the start of the recession in 2008. George Franks, Douglas & Gordon’s sales director, comments, “Notting Hill is one of London’s most desirable areas, with a variety of accommodation available, from large homes on secluded communal garden squares and stuccoed Victorian houses to purpose built apartments. With the area continuing to attract wealthy city workers, international buyers and young professionals, we are expecting demand for properties, both to buy and to let, to continue to increase. “We are strengthening our


spicerHaart lettiNgs to douBle iN size


Spicerhaart is to invest more than £20 million to expand its residential sales and lettings business.


Chief Executive Paul Smith says that the company will invest in new-starts and acquisitions across the UK, following a hugely profitable year for the group. “We will be opening 10 new


sales branches and doubling the size of our lettings division and contact centre,” he said, with the promise of additional investment in management, career


development and apprenticeships. Spicerhaart Lettings MD Andrew


Benn (pictured) explained the strategy saying, “If we want to be the very best, we need to have the very best people. That’s why we are introducing a new structured career training programme and improving our management development scheme, promoting our most successful lettings negotiators to running their own branches. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve already promoted six people to branch manager.”


presence here in West London as we believe this will be a key growth area for our business.” The office at 299


Westbourne Grove will support the existing Kensington Church Street office which, until now,


has served the Notting Hill area. Maddie Lewington has moved from Douglas and Gordon’s Kensington office to lead the sales department while Amanda Bastin, also from the Kensington office, will be heading up the lettings team at the new office. Amanda has worked in the Kensington and Chelsea area for 20 years. The new office is the first


estate agency to have a fully interactive ‘Microsoft Surface Table’ available for clients. This table, which is like a large iPad, is a new way for applicants to search for a suitable properties. The technology is linked to the Douglas & Gordon website which can also be viewed interactively. There are a number of useful features, such as Google Earth which offers a bird’s eye view of the property so a potential purchaser or tenant can be fully informed about the area before they even leave the office.


FoxtoNs opeNs iN BlackHeatH


Foxtons opened its 30th office in March in Blackheath, south-east London, following five other new offices opened in 2010. Mark Cullen, Area Director for east London says, “Our Canary Wharf office has been successfully servicing the Blackheath area for five years. However, now seems an ideal time to focus on the local market in more depth and support the local community with an office on their doorstep. As a company, we enjoy working across the full spectrum of properties each area


has to offer and look forward to helping people find their perfect home. The variety of properties in Blackheath, with both traditional Georgian town houses and more contemporary developments, will attract a wide range of buyers and tenants, especially families who are looking for open spaces, great schools and a village atmosphere.”


‘Now is the time to focus on the local community.’


PROPERTYdrum APRIL 2011 61


MERGERS


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