Agencies announce expansions despite Coronavirus crisis

Hunters has launched two additional franchise branches in Tower Bridge, London and Middleton, North Manchester, taking the company total to over 200.

Hunters Tower Bridge will handle sales and lettings across the local area plus periphery postcodes including Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, Shadwell, Wapping, Bermondsey, Poplar and Millwall.

Hunters North Manchester is a conversion based in Middleton, which has been operating since July 2016; it will provide sales and lettings services across the Middleton, Blackley, Heywood, Prestwich and Castleton areas.

Glynis Frew, Hunters chief executive, says:“Despite the challenging market conditions, we continue to go from strength to strength, growing our footprint across the country while continually evolving our offering. These two new branches will complement our existing strong network in the respective areas.

“A large part of this success is down to our significant ongoing investment in our technological offering, which we believe is the battleground where modern agency will be won or lost.”

Meanwhile independent west country agency Alexander May has used the lockdown to create a new department covering land and new homes.

The company, which already operates sales and property management in Bristol and North Somerset, says its decision to expand bucked the trend of many competitors who downsized during the lockdown. 

Company director Rhodri Evans says: “We have an exciting pipeline of developments and the Land & New Homes team have already been adding to this. Away from this sector we have also strengthened our teams in other departments, we very much see this as an opportunity to progress as a business but more importantly continue to add value for our customers”.

The team will have a separate identity to the agency but “retaining its close association with the current sales and property management branding.”