It isn’t every estate agent who can manage to persuade a member of the Royal Family to open their newest branch.
However, Richard Nightingale pulled off the coup – apparently due to some long-standing charity work which has impressed the Princess Royal.
HRH landed by helicopter in a field close to the new Nightingales office in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and was greeted by crowds lining the pavement.
Dignitaries attending the official opening also included the Lord Lieutenant, local mayor and assorted councillors.
The princess was presented with a bouquet by 10-year-old Katie Price, winner of a competition organised jointly by Nightingales and the local paper, in which schoolchildren were invited to draw their own fairytale princess.
She then spent around 45 minutes in the offices chatting to staff and other guests, including the chairman of Team – of which Nightingales is a member – Paul Bonett and finance director Phil Irving.
This is the third time the Princess Royal has performed the opening honours for Mr Nightingale, who has been active in the charity field for many years.
As well as property sales and lettings, which the group moved into in 2009, the Nightingale Group is also involved in removals, storage, international shipping and van hire.
The newly-opened offices are a bit different from the norm, according to divisional manager James Cole.
He said: “The premises are considerably larger than a conventional agency office and the entire front area comprises a coffee shop, with tablet computers locked down to Team’s website on tables – so if they wish, customers can browse through thousands of properties for sale throughout the country whilst enjoying a latte and a light bite.
“Basically, we can help our customers with every aspect of their home move – whether they want to buy a million-pound home or a stack of recycled cardboard boxes to do their packing.
“This in turn means we are able to keep our agency fees competitive, while at the same time offering extra incentives like a 20% reduction on removal and storage costs.”
Nightingales joined Team about six months ago.
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