franchise estate agencies in the uk, bairstow eves franchising

Colin is a graduate of business studies at Leeds University and their first venture was a coffee bar & cafe. Their connection with the world of estate agency and lettings started back in 2000 when Colin was employed by the Halifax banking group, initially as a mortgage consultant in Manchester and latterly as an estate agency Manager in the Kippax and Adel areas around Leeds.

During his time spent in Manchester he became very aware of the professional and consistent approach to estate agency as practised by the Countrywide network of branches in the city.

Further investigation by Colin revealed that many of the Bairstow Eves Countrywide branches were in fact franchised businesses operated by their owners with the full support of Bairstow Eves Franchising and the Countrywide plc group.

Following a successful franchise application, Colin and Gemma opened their first branch in Headingley in the summer of 2007. Asked what attracted them to the idea of a franchised estate agency business, Colin replied;

“Starting any business is tough; developing your own brand and systems are tougher still and could take many years of effort and considerable expense. Bairstow Eves on the other hand is a very well established national brand and all the hard work has already been done. They offer a nationally recognised brand, established agency and lettings systems, an effective back office lettings management service, IT and marketing support”

“The alternative was to go it alone as an independent brand owner with the mammoth task of developing all of the above in addition to building a new business and taking sufficient market share. There was no competition.”

The effects of the Northern Rock debacle and the banking crisis that followed have provided a challenge for the couple, as did the temporary closure of their Headingley branch at the end of 2008, when on Christmas Eve a car plunged through their shop window causing a serious amount of damage. Fortunately none of the staff or the car driver was seriously injured. Since then and with the support of Bairstow Eves Franchising they have built their business into a multi site operation.

Colin & Gemma have a particular interest in the lettings market and regularly offer advice to landlords who operate in the Leeds rental market. Their plan for the future is to own and develop at least four Bairstow Eves offices, each providing estate agency and lettings services to their customers, while also finding time to follow their other passions; hill walking and Yorkshire cricket.