The national estate agency group Connells has jumped into the online agency world with the acquisition of Hatched.co.uk. Hatched – one of the original pioneers of the online estate agency model – is, says Connells, aligned with its “ambitious growth strategy to extend its presence in the UK property market.” This purchase follows the recent acquisition of 18 branch Gascoigne Halman with offices in Cheshire and south Manchester.

While other corporate agencies have made noises about online agency acquisitions, this is the first major deal.

Connells say that Hatched will ‘bring complementary capabilities including first-hand knowledge and experience of this developing sector.”

It will also expand Connells into towns and cities not currently covered by its existing estate agency operation. Hatched will continue to trade under its existing brand with founder and managing director Adam Day remaining in charge of operations.

“We are pleased to welcome into the Group such an innovative business and well established player in the online space,” says Connells Group CEO, David Livesey (left). “The acquisition of Hatched represents a natural progression towards further enhancing our online proposition and wholly complements our strategy to expand our high street footprint. We are entirely committed to our branch network – evident through our recent acquisitions and our programme of 114 branch openings over the last 18 months – and I can confirm that this acquisition does not signal a shift away from traditional high street estate agency practices and values by Connells. Indeed, we believe that this allows us to continue to innovate in the digital space and provide a unique combination to enable us to best service customer needs.”

Adam Day (right), Managing Director at Hatched, says: “We are delighted and proud to say that we’re now part of the Connells Group whose values of great estate agency practice are perfectly aligned with ours. As one of the original online estate agents in the UK, it has always been my intention to create an estate agency offering that utilises the power of the internet and technology whilst complementing, and not replacing, estate agents. This partnership will allow us to compete as this sector develops and to deliver a first class estate agency service and unrivalled online customer experience.”