How big will this agency group become? New acquisition revealed

One of the brands at the centre of the new Lomond Group has snapped up a 640-home lettings portfolio - taking the group’s overall portfolio to more than 35,000 managed units.

Linley & Simpson has bought the sales and lettings business of Leeds-based Hardisty and Co, a family-run agency dating back over 30 years.  

The deal adds more than 640 properties to Linley and Simpson’s rental portfolio; members of the Hardisty and Co team will also join them. 

Nick Simpson, chief executive of Leeds-headquartered Linley & Simpson, says: “We are thrilled to acquire, and join forces with, another market-leading agency of the calibre of Hardisty and Co. 

“It is a highly complementary business that we have known and admired for many years, and represents an ideal fit for us. 

“The thriving area where they operate is one of our strongest heartlands. It’s where we started our journey as a letting agent 25 years ago, and where our headquarters is now based. 

“We look forward to pooling more than five decades of local knowledge and insight to ensure we offer the highest quality customer service to buyers and sellers, tenants and landlords.” 

Established as Waite & Co in 1992, the firm was bought and rebranded to Hardisty and Co in 2015. 

Linley & Simpson - founded in 1997 - has 22 High Street branches spanning Yorkshire and The Humber and became part of the Lomond Group at the end of 2020 when it joined forces with Edinburgh-based Lomond Capital to co-create a new national lettings and sales business. 

The group now has a combined portfolio of over 35,000 properties, worth around £8 billion under management; and operates major hubs in private rental hotspots Aberdeen, Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and York. 

It has brought together existing regional lettings operators Linley & Simpson, Thornley Groves, Brand Vaughan, Michael Jones & Company, and John Shepherd in England;  plus Stonehouse, Fineholm and the recently-acquired DJ Alexander in Scotland. 

The Lomond Group has the backing of private equity firm LDC, with access to further acquisition investment provided by LGT Capital Partners.