Veteran industry franchising heavyweight Michael Stoop (pictured, below) has re-joined Winkworth as a consultant 25 years after he left the company.

Michael started at Winkworth in 1976 but just five years later was the first person to open a franchised Winkworth office, at a branch in Parsons Green, central London.

He then sold it on to a new Winkworth franchisee in 1988, having earlier been made Managing Director of the company.

Four years later in 1992 he left Winkworth to join Xperience, the franchising division of Legal & General, where he worked for 22 years before joining Martin & Co as Group Managing Director in 2014, after it bought Xperience for £6 million and then rebranded as The Property Franchise Group.

This new group company then brought together Martin & Co as well as the brands Michael brought with him including Ellis & Co, CJ Hole, Parkers and Whitegates, under one umbrella.

Last year The Property Franchise Group added online-only agency Ewemove to its portfolio in a deal worth £15m.

But in August last year Michael retired from The Property Franchise Group and set up Michael Stoop Property Services with a member of his family, which at Companies House is registered as a property investment company.

“It’s almost like coming home,” says Michael.

“I’m thoroughly looking forward to returning to Winkworth after such a long time away and hope to provide real value in helping to promote and expand its franchise proposal.

“We’re on the look-out for talented, experienced agents with in-depth knowledge of their local market to join our network of franchisees, so I’d like to invite these individuals to get in touch to find out more.”

Key role

Winkworth says Michael is now to play a key role in developing other franchise opportunities within the property industry and work closely with the New Franchising team to expand the company’s network.

“I’m delighted to welcome Michael back to Winkworth after 25 years,” says Winkworth CEO Dominic Agace (pictured, right).

“His experience in the industry, and particularly in franchising, is second to none. I have no doubt that he will add great value to our brand and help to drive Winkworth’s expansion into new and exciting areas nationally.”

In May Winkworth announced that it was opening four new offices, taking its total to 97 branches, 60 of which are in London.