Franchise agency chain bucks trend with more offices, more customers

Century 21 UK appears to have bucked the trend of closing offices and reduced footfall by marking the opening of 16 new offices across the country in the past 12 months. 

It describes itself as “one of the fastest growing estate agency franchises in the UK” and says that 83 per cent of its offices reported increased business levels in 2018 compared to the previous year.

Century 21 UK - the national franchise for which is run by SDL Group - says the success secret is being able to offer diverse services to clients, including sales, lettings, estate and block management, surveying, auctions and mortgages in each branch, thus providing many income streams.

“In addition to new franchisees joining us, two of our offices were resold to two of our existing franchisees who wanted to expand in 2018 - one of the many benefits of being part of a franchise network” explains Chris Summers, head of franchising for SDL Group.

“2019 is expected to be just as busy, if not busier with a further 10 offices expected to open within the first quarter alone" he adds.

“Many of our offices are based in London, however, 2018 saw the start of many offices opening outside of the city and the surrounding area. Offices have opened in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, with a handful opening in the North and Midlands, such as Salford, Doncaster, Derby and Leicester.

“We hope this inspires other franchisees, especially in the Midlands and the North to follow suit.”

The company says that as part of the support for individual branch franchisees, the company offers continuous access to in-the-field mentorship and training “which ensures that each business flourishes and triumphs.”