The Vail Williams Board are delighted to announce significant growth news following a merger with another high-performing property consultant in the Solent region.
We have completed a deal with the directors of Hughes Ellard to combine the expertise, high service levels and great reputations of our two companies to form one Solent based property ‘Powerhouse’ servicing clients across the South of England and in London. Our businesses both have strong full-service offerings that complement each other, with Hughes Ellard bringing greater expertise in the Solent transactional market where as we have greater strength in consultancy.
We do of course know Hughes Ellard well and had a healthy respect for each other for a number of years. We share a similar culture and values as well as attitudes towards client service excellence, staff development and corporate social responsibility.
The four Hughes Ellard directors – Gary Jeffries, Carl Walker, Russell Mogridge and Nik Cox – have become equity partners in Vail Williams and all other Hughes Ellard team members have taken up equivalent roles in either our Southampton office or an enhanced Portsmouth office scheduled to open later this year.
This latest deal follows on from Vail Williams’ successful acquisitions of business rates specialists Bisset Moffatt Hill in 2016 and the general rating division of Ruddle Merz in 2017. All three deals have been designed to fully optimise Vail Williams’ full service offering across all the regions in which we operate as part of an ambitious business plan which has also seen Vail Williams recognised as one of the ‘Best Places to Work in Property’ and attain ‘Investors in People’ Silver accreditation.
Mike Greenwood, Vail Williams’ Regional Managing Partner for the Solent, who worked at Hughes Ellard earlier in his career, is delighted to be able to strengthen the team with a new group of experts he knows will fit in well to the Vail Williams philosophy and culture. He said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to combine our two businesses, giving us the ability to service our clients more effectively and to continue our growth plans through the final year of our business plan and into the future. The team at Hughes Ellard are market leaders and we have a strong set of shared values. It will be a privilege to work with them again.” Gary Jeffries, Managing Director of Hughes Ellard, said: “It is great news for Hughes Ellard to be joining forces with such an established and successful former ‘rival’. We look forward to building on that success with our new colleagues and partners.”
The merger will strengthen Vail Williams’ already robust service offering to clients in the flourishing Solent and South coast area, creating a true regional property advisor which will continue to deliver first class expertise in all areas and client service that is second to none.
Picture shows (L to R) Hughes Ellard Directors – Carl Walker, Gary Jeffries and Russell Mogridge. Vail Williams’ Solent Regional Managing Partner Mike Greenwood, Vail Williams’ Managing Partner Matthew Samuel-Camps and Hughes Ellard Director Nik Cox.
