Solent: Vail Williams and Hughes Ellard merge to create 'powerhouse'
Property specialist Vail Williams has merged with Hughes Ellard in a move that sees the two successful companies combine their strengths to become one of the largest and most capable property advisers in the region.
Both businesses have strong full-service offerings that complement each other, with Hughes Ellard bringing greater expertise in the Solent transactional market and Vail Williams bringing greater strength in consultancy.
The long-established companies know each other well and share similar attitudes towards client service excellence, staff development and corporate social responsibility.
Hughes Ellard’s four directors – Gary Jeffries, Carl Walker, Russell Mogridge and Nik Cox - will become equity partners in Vail Williams. All other members of the 25-strong Hughes Ellard team will take up equivalent roles in either Vail Williams’ Southampton or Portsmouth offices.
The move will result in a combined team of over 50 based in the Solent which will continue to service clients across the South coast. In total, the Vail Williams national team will now number more than 160 across eight offices.
The timing of the merger kicks off Vail Williams’ new financial year, which sees the company in a strong position as it enters the final year of an ambitious three-year growth plan instigated by managing partner Matthew Samuel-Camps at the start of his tenure in 2015.
The 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, which formed part of the commercial property adviser’s wider strategy to extend and maximise the service capability in the regions where it operates.
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, providing a true regional property adviser that will continue to deliver first class expertise in all areas and client service that is second to none.
