Countrywide is one of the UK's largest integrated property services group including residential property

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

, a collaboration of estate agents, and corporate services. It employs circa 8,500 personnel nationwide, working across 650+ estate agency or lettings offices operating under 50+ brands. Countrywide is a wholly owned subsidiary of Connells Group

History

In 1986,

financial services Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...

company Hambros plc, having de-merged its banking arm, 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 Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...

broker. The group then grew through acquisition, buying Nationwide estate agents and surveyors from Nationwide Building Society in 1994, Spencers from

National and Provincial National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Building Society in 1995 and London firms Faron Sutaria, PKL and John D Wood & Co. in 1997. In 1998 the business was renamed Countrywide Assured plc and demerged from Hambros plc. After creating a franchise opportunity under the Bairstow Eves brand, the group then restarted its acquisition trail acquiring

Friends Provident Friends’ Provident Insurance was a banking institution founded in 1832 to serve the needs of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Based in Bradford, it concentrated on sickness and annuity policies until its life fund acquired Century Insurance ...

estate agents and surveyors (in return for a long term licence to resell Friends Provident financial products) in August 2002. Friends Provident Estate Agencies operated 104 offices across the South of England, trading as: Fulfords, Chappell & Matthews, Palmer Snell and Carson & Company and had been acquired by Friends Provident as an 80-strong chain in 1998 as part of their takeover of London and Manchester Group plc.Cicutti, Nic. "Friends set for pounds 750m L&M takeover". The Independent, 18 August 1998. Available online a

Accessed 4 June 2019."Friends Provident plc Secures Exclusive Distribution Agreement with UK's Leading Estate Agency Group". RNS Press Release, 22 August 2002. Available online a

Accessed 4 June 2019. The life assurance business was demerged as Chesnara plc in May 2004. In 2004 it acquired Freeman Foreman group as well as the estate agency business of Bradford and Bingley Building Society. This business had been originally formed as Black Horse Agencies Group by Lloyds Bank in 1982, and purchased as 370 strong chain (including TSB Property Services and Slater Hogg & Howison) by Bradford and Bingley from the then owners Lloyds TSB in April 1998."New Stable for Black Horse". The Argus, 3 April 1998. Available online a

Accessed 28 April 2017. Slater Hogg & Howison had been acquired by

TSB Scotland A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

in 1988Thickett, Robert. "50 years in finance". Mortgage Strategy, 12 November 2012. Available online a

Accessed 28 April 2017. having been established in 1975 by Roy Slater, Iain Hogg and Geoff Howison."Founder calls for buyout at Slater Hogg Howison". The Scotsman, 23 May 2004. Available online a

Accessed 28 April 2017. The Black Horse name was dropped by Bradford and Bingley in 1999."Bradford & Bingley to modernise image". Design Week, 8 May 1998. Available online a

Accessed 28 April 2017. In 2007, Countrywide was 100% acquired by Apollo Management for a sum over £1bn, and de-listed from the London Stock Exchange. Following debt restructuring, the owners included Apollo Management, Oaktree Capital Management and Alchemy Partners. In March 2013, Countrywide plc was re-listed on the London Stock Exchange. In November 2013, Countrywide acquired national commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH). Countrywide acquired the southwest Wales estate agency John Francis in 2015. In January 2018, an unscheduled profits warning sent Countrywide's share price plummeting by nearly 19 per cent, and CEO

Alison Platt Alison Platt (born February 1962) is a British businesswoman. She was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agency group from 2014 to January 2018, resigning after overseeing a 90% fall in the company's share ...

stepped down, to be replaced by

Peter Long Peter Long (born 4 June 1952) is an English businessman. He is the chairman of Royal Mail and Countrywide. Early years Long was born in Malta, as his father was serving in the Royal Navy. He attended Price's Grammar School in Fareham, Hamps ...

, appointed executive chairman until a new CEO is found. In August 2018, the share price fell by 60% after an emergency cash call (in the form of a rights issue), and after having downgrading profit forecasts four times in eight months. In December 2020 Connells Group agree to buy the company at a valuation of circa £82 million. On 8 March 2021 Connells Group acquired Countrywide Plc.

Brands

*Abbotts *Accord Lets *Alan de Maid *Andrew Reeves *Andrews Butler *Ashby Lowery *Ashton Burkinshaw *Austin & Wyatt *Bairstow Eves *Beresford Adams *Bridgfords *Buckell & Ballard *Blundells *Carson & Co. *Chappell & Matthews *CityLets York *Clive Watkin Partnership *Country & Waterside Prestige *Countrywide North *Cryers *Dixons *Entwistle Green *Finders Keepers *Frank Innes *Freeman Foreman *Fulfords *Gascoigne-Pees *Geering & Colyer *Greene & Co * Hamptons International *Hetheringtons *John Curtis *John Francis * John D Wood & Co. *King & Chasemore *Lambert Smith Hampton *Letters of Distinction *Locke & England *Mann *Miller Countrywide *Morris Dibben *Palmer Snell *Preston Bennett *PKL *R.A. Bennett & Partners *Regal Residential Lettings *Rentons Countrywide *Slater Hogg & Howison *SLM *Spencers *Stratton Creber *Sutton Kersh *Taylors *Tucker Gardner *Underwoods Town & County *Urban Spaces *Watson Bull & Porter *Wilson Peacock *Woods

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Apollo Global Management companies Real estate companies established in 1986 Property services companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Chelmsford Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange 1986 establishments in the United Kingdom