A Yorkshire estate agents, and joint founder of the Lomond Group, has stepped up its expansion programme with acquisitions in two of its key heartlands.
Linley & Simpson has bought the independently-owned and family-run Moores estate agency, which has been a market-leader in Leeds and in particular its northern suburb of Headingley for more than 30 years.
It has also secured the residential lettings specialist homes4harrogate. Based in the centre of the North Yorkshire spa town, it also serves a wider area spanning Knaresborough, Wetherby, Ripon, Boroughbridge, York and Leeds.
This brace of deals will add more than 500 properties to Linley & Simpson’s rental portfolio, as well as see it inheriting the residential sales arm of Moores, whose founders Michael Moore and wife Julie are retiring from estate agency, and daughter Hayley is pursuing other interests.
Nick Simpson, CEO of Leeds-headquartered Linley & Simpson, which operates more than 20 High Street branches across Yorkshire and The Humber, said: “Amid the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, we are thrilled to end 2021 on such an upbeat note.
“These are highly complementary businesses that we know well, and represent a tailor-made fit for us.
“Their first-class portfolios and first-class people will transfer seamlessly into our existing branches, helping us to strengthen our position at the head of the marketplace in these in-demand locations.
“We now look forward to the opportunity of taking our customer service to hundreds of new tenants and landlords, buyers and sellers, as well as forging long-lasting relationships with them.”
He added: “This investment is yet another vote of our continuing confidence in both Yorkshire and its property market.
“On the back of co-creating the Lomond Group, and thanks to a tremendous team effort from all our people, 2021 has witnessed a record year of growth for Linley & Simpson.
“Our resolution for the new year is to use this platform to scale up further, not just in existing locations but new areas too. We are in discussions with a number of acquisition prospects.”
Employees from both the acquired agencies – including Moores’ directors Michael Davies and Angie Wright who have both worked with the company for over 15 years – will transfer to Linley & Simpson’s flagship offices in Otley Road, Headingley; and Albert Street, Harrogate, respectively.
Sarah Johnston, a former law graduate who launched homes4harrogate in 2017 and became a familiar face on Sky TV’s Property Question Time, is taking the opportunity of the sale to progress a new career outside of the lettings sector.
Founded by Will Linley and fellow director Nick Simpson in Yorkshire 1997, Linley & Simpson has grown from just two offices and a handful of staff into a team of more than 300 people.
It became part of the Lomond Group at the turn of the year when it joined forces with Edinburgh-based Lomond Capital to co-create a new national lettings and sales business.
The Lomond Group now has a combined portfolio of over 27,000 properties under management, and major hubs in private rental hotspots including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and York.
