Newton Fallowell has merged with Hartleys to become the largest independent agency across the East Midlands with a combined network of 25 offices.
Now stretching across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, the two firms will nonetheless remain trading under their existing, different, brand names and will retain all staff at existing branches for the time being.
Under the deal, Gary Hartley - the former England rugby international who founded the four-branch Hartley chain in 1995 - will become an executive director of Newton Fallowell. Meanwhile Newton Fallowell, founded by chief executive Mark
Newton in 1999, has 21 branches and 150 staff.
The merger has grown out of a long standing friendship between Hartley and Newton, who worked together as chartered surveyors in the 1980s, before each setting up their respective businesses.
The Hartleys lettings business is not included in the agreement, and will continue to trade as a stand-alone business, with Gary Hartley remaining as senior partner.
Comments
Nice bloke that he is, Gary Hartley never played for England as a full Rugby International as far as the records indicate.
More mergers The competition is getting more and more fierce for agents - the market is completely saturated and everyone appears to be turning towards mergers.