“We decided to invest in another franchise as we wanted to expand our portfolio and taking on another territory would allow us to do that,” explains Paul Harten. “We also realised that we could benefit from cost savings on advertising and staff, plus having two territories would make a good selling point for our landlords. We chose Bishops Stortford as we both know the area well and, as it’s a neighbouring town and territory, it seemed a natural progression for us.”
Paul says the business is now doing well and a recent move to new premises has allowed the business to develop further…
“We first took over Belvoir Bishops Stortford in April last year,” says Paul Harten. “But, earlier this year we had the opportunity to buy another local lettings agency and re-brand it to Belvoir, taking on their premises and property portfolio. We now have approaching 120 properties on our books and work from larger premises than the original Belvoir Bishops Stortford branch. The shop is in a good location too, with a dominant position near the High Street.
“There was a lot of preparation but the move went very smoothly,” he continues. “In fact, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the speedy the growth of the business - Bishops Stortford is a very competitive market and we’ve gone from being fairly quiet to making an impact in the community.”
So how do Paul Harten and Paul Vincent juggle the management of both offices?
“I run the Harlow office and Paul Vincent runs the Bishops Stortford branch, along with eight members of staff, both full and part-time” says Paul Harten. “We meet once a week and and have lots of interaction with each other as we are still partners across both businesses.”
“We’re really pleased with how things are going and we’ve even bettered our original estimates. Our vision for the future is to continue growing both businesses while keeping an eye out for a potential third territory or agency to expand our portfolio further.”
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Spotlight on Paul Harten and Paul Vincent…
Franchise owners Paul Harten and Paul Vincent have been in business together for the last four years following Paul Harten joining Paul Vincent as partner of Belvoir Harlow.
“Paul Vincent launched Belvoir Harlow eight years ago,” says Paul Harten. “I was a landlord with a property portfolio in the local area and a couple of my properties were with Paul at Belvoir. I found that he gave me the best service and feedback and I started working with him before joining him as partner four years ago.”
Following the success of their partnership at Belvoir Harlow Paul Vincent and Paul Harten decided to invest in a second franchise together early last year.
• Belvoir Lettings now have more than 140 offices nationwide. To find your nearest Belvoir office, visit their website at www.belvoirlettings.com
