Independent estate agency completes eighth acquisition of the year
Two independent estate agency chains in the region are now joining forces.
Linley & Simpson has completed the acquisition of the residential sales and lettings business of Dale Eddison, headquartered in Ilkley, for an undisclosed sum.
As part of the deal, Linley & Simpson has bought all of Dale Eddison’s five offices – located in Ilkley, Otley, Guiseley, Silsden and Skipton.
The branches will continue to operate under the Dale Eddison brand.
Linley & Simpson’s Ilkley office on Brook Street will now focus exclusively on lettings, while its new Dale Eddison sister branch on The Grove will specialise in sales.
The acquisition is the fourth to take place since Linley & Simpson secured the backing of LDC, the mid-market private equity investor in June, and the eighth in total this year.
LDC partnered with co-founders Will Linley and Nick Simpson to help boost Linley & Simpson’s growth plans.
All of the 43 staff at Dale Eddison, including directors Bill Dale, William Eddison and Gary Shankland, are remaining with the business.
Will Linley, chief executive of Leeds-headquartered Linley & Simpson, said: “Dale Eddison has a deserved reputation for quality among the communities it serves – borne out by being voted ‘Britain’s best’ by its clients. We are delighted they have now joined our family of branches.
“By pooling our home-grown Yorkshire expertise, we aim to enhance the portfolio of market-leading services we offer all our buyers and sellers, tenants and landlords.
“This is a transformational deal that is a great fit for us strategically and geographically. This synergy gives us the platform to add an extra dimension to the service we already offer our customers in Ilkley, as well as taking us onto the High Street of neighbouring areas for the first time.
“We can now take advantage of more than four decades of collective estate agency expertise to drive customer service improvements and lead industry innovation across the area – one that is growing in popularity as a place to live.”
Bill Dale, joint founder of Dale Eddison, added: “We are thrilled to be becoming part of another national award-winning agency – especially one which has strong Yorkshire roots, the same traditional values, and shares our passion for properties and the people who live in them.”
Gareth Marshall, investment director at LDC in Yorkshire and North East, said: “This latest acquisition rounds off a stellar six months for Linley & Simpson. It’s been fantastic to see Will and Nick’s buy-and-build strategy take off since our partnership began in June this year.
“The business is quickly increasing its footprint in Yorkshire and firmly cementing its position as aleading agent in the region.”
