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Hunters continues expansion

hunters-logoHunters continued its rapid expansion in 2014, with no fewer than 37 new branch openings for the year.

Hunters’ offices opened their doors across the country in counties including Greater London, West Midlands, County Durham, Berkshire, Suffolk, Herefordshire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire.

Having opened its first branch 22 years ago in York, Hunters, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent franchised estate agency groups, now has close to 130 branches nationwide.

The expansion is set to continue this year with plans already in place to open offices in Oldham, Dewsbury, Amersham, Chesham, Leighton Buzzard and Forest Hill during the first quarter and further 50 openings to follow over the year in locations including Hackney, Dartford, Twickenham, Edgware and the Wirral among others.

kevin-hollinrake-huntersKevin Hollinrake |(left), Managing Director and Hunters Founder, said: “Network growth is at an all-time high, with no other agency growing at the speed we are. These office openings are designed to complement our existing network. However, it is not just about being the biggest estate agency; it is about being the best. I believe that much of our success lies in our infrastructure – our independently owned franchised branches are run by business owners who are experts in their own local area – which gives our customers real value.”

Part of Hunters expansion in 2014, included Lincolnshire’s leading estate agency, Turner Evans Stevens, joining the Group. With eight branches across the county, including the main towns and cities of Lincoln, Grimsby and Skegness – this was new territory for Hunters. In July 2014, the company also merged with Hunters Group Limited, a seven-office firm in the West Midlands. The two businesses have now combined – ensuring Hunters position as one of the top six brands in the industry, conducting around 10,000 sales and lettings transactions annually.

andy-bushell-huntersAndy Bushell (right), Sales Director at Hunters, commented, “It’s been simply a phenomenal year; we have completed our best year in history in growing the estate agency network. The 37 new locations that opened as Hunters in 2014 stretch across the UK from North Shields in the northeast to Dawlish in the south and all areas in between.”

A number of other firms, including Century 21 and Dacre Son & Hartley, are currently expanding via the franchising route.

Century 21 UK continued its expansion in 2014 by opening 21 new franchise offices, including 16 in London, during the course of the year, while Yorkshire-based Dacre Son & Hartley is now in the process of adding to its existing network of offices, which includes 19 dedicated sales branches covering the Yorkshire Dales, the cities of Leeds and Bradford, the A1 & M1 corridor and eastward towards the Vale of York.

Patrick McCutcheon, Head of Residential Sales and Franchise Director at Dacre Son & Hartley, otherwise referred to as Dacres, said: “We are keen to grow the business and franchising is the next logical step.”

January 21, 2015

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