Countrywide
Encyclopedia
Countrywide Ltd are the United Kingdom
's largest estate agency
group. It employs 10,000 personnel nationwide, working across 1,300 estate agency or lettings offices operating under 46 local high street brands, supplemented by 650 mortgage consultants and over 350 surveyors. Countrywide is listed in the Top Track 100
.
company Hambros plc (de-merged itself from Hambros Bank
), acquired two estate agents, Bairstow Eves and Mann & Co, to form a new company called Hambro Countrywide plc, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange
. In 1988, the company created Hambro Assured, then the UK's largest life insurance
broker.
The group then grew through acquisition, buying:
In 1998, Hambros plc de-merged the newly created Countrywide Assured plc. After creating a franchise opportunity under the Bairstow Eves brand, the group then restarted its acquisition trail:
In 2007, the company was 100% acquired by Apollo Management
for a sum over £1Bn, and de-listed from the London Stock Exchange. Following debt restructuring, the owners now include Apollo Management, Oaktree Capital Management
, and Alchemy Partners
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest estate agency
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
group. It employs 10,000 personnel nationwide, working across 1,300 estate agency or lettings offices operating under 46 local high street brands, supplemented by 650 mortgage consultants and over 350 surveyors. Countrywide is listed in the Top Track 100
Top Track 100
The Top Track 100 is a list published by British newspaper The Sunday Times each year ranking Britain's top 100 private companies by their turnover over the previous year, from published accounts....
.
History
In 1986, financial servicesFinancial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
company Hambros plc (de-merged itself from Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank was a British bank based in London. The Hambros bank was a specialist in Anglo-Scandinavian business with expertise in trade finance and investment banking, and was the sole banker to the Scandinavian kingdoms for many years...
), acquired two estate agents, Bairstow Eves and Mann & Co, to form a new company called Hambro Countrywide plc, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
. In 1988, the company created Hambro Assured, then the UK's largest life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
broker.
The group then grew through acquisition, buying:
- 1994 - Nationwide estate agents and surveyors from Nationwide Building SocietyNationwide Building SocietyNationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
- 1995 - Spencers from National and Provincial Building Society
- 1997 - London firms Faron Sutaria, PKL and John D Wood & Co.
In 1998, Hambros plc de-merged the newly created Countrywide Assured plc. After creating a franchise opportunity under the Bairstow Eves brand, the group then restarted its acquisition trail:
- 2002 - acquired Friends ProvidentFriends ProvidentFriends Provident was an organisation offering life insurance based in the United Kingdom. It was founded as a mutual Friendly Society for Quakers, although it was demutualised in 2001 and became a publicly listed company, no longer linked with the Religious Society of Friends...
estate agents and surveyors, in return for long term license to resell Friends Provident financial products. De-merges Countrywide Assured in May 2004, as the newly and separately listed Chesnara plc - 2004 - acquired Freeman Foreman group. Then acquired estate agency business of Bradford and Bingley Building Society
In 2007, the company was 100% acquired by Apollo Management
Apollo Management
Apollo Global Management, LLC is a private equity investment firm, founded in 1990 by former Drexel Burnham Lambert banker Leon Black. The firm specializes in leveraged buyout transactions and purchases of distressed securities involving corporate restructuring, special situations and industry...
for a sum over £1Bn, and de-listed from the London Stock Exchange. Following debt restructuring, the owners now include Apollo Management, Oaktree Capital Management
Oaktree Capital Management
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. is a global investment management corporation with about US$82.4 billion of assets under management. Oaktree's mission is to provide management with a primary emphasis on risk control in a limited number of sophisticated investment specialties...
, and Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners is a British private equity firm, which specialises in leveraged management buyouts, management buy-ins and the provision of later stage development capital.Alchemy was founded in 1997 by Martin Bolland and Jon Moulton...
.
Brands
- Abbots
- Accord Lets
- Alan de Maid
- Andrew Reeves
- Andrews Butler
- Ashton Burkinshaw
- Austin & Wyatt
- Bairstow Eves
- Beresford Adams
- Bridgfords
- Buckell & Ballard
- Carsons
- Chappell & Matthews
- Countrywide
- Dixons
- Entwhistle Green
- Faron Sutaria
- Frank Innes
- Freeman Foreman
- Fulfords
- Gascoigne-Pees
- Gerring & Colyer
- Hamptons International
- Hetheringtons Countrywide
- John D Wood & Co.
- King & Chasemore
- Locke & England
- Mann Countrywide
- Miller Countrywide
- Morris Dibben
- Palmer Snell
- PKL
- R.A. Bennett & Partners
- Rentons Countrywide
- Slater Hogg & Howinson
- SLM
- Sotheby's RealtySotheby's International RealtySotheby’s International Realty is a luxury real estate brokerage agency that offers a collection of luxury homes, estates and properties for sale throughout the world. It is owned by parent company Realogy, which was spun off in July 2006 from former parent company Cendant. Sotheby’s has real...
- Spencers
- Stratton Creber
- Taylors
- Watson Bull Porter
- Wilson Peacock