Independent agency launches new brand to honour former boss

Independent estate agency Heywoods has undergone a major rebrand in honour of its former boss Chris Stops.

Stops, 57, passed away in June after being diagnosed with cancer just five weeks before. He had been leading the North Staffordshire agency since taking over from his father in 1990.

A report in the Stoke Sentinel has revealed that Stops had been creating a new brand for Heywoods but passed away before it could be completed.

A small team from the agency has since finished the project in his honour with a brand picking up on the theme that all living creatures have a home.

The branding, which features a series of humanised animals, was designed by a local firm called Strategi Solutions.

"The team were all aware that Chris and a small handful of the guys had been working on a new brand that would set Heywoods apart from other estate and lettings agents in the region; they certainly didn’t expect to see something so ‘wild’," Stops' wife Janine told the Sentinel.

"The concept was very well received by everyone – I just wish Chris could have been here to see for himself how much we all loved it."

Stef Knapper, chief property guru at Heywoods, told the paper: "At the start of the re-brand process Chris wanted to develop a concept that reflected the core values of our company and something that really stood out."

"The work started at the beginning of the year and we were ready to launch in the spring, then lockdown happened. All materials had been designed and much of the print work completed but we decided that it was sensible to postpone the launch until the time was right for us and for our customers."

You can see examples of the new branding on the Heywoods website here.