Spicerhaart has appointed Countrywide’s former “retail” director for East Anglia, Kim Chiles, as its new divisional partner for Felicity J Lord in London.
It is the latest firm to have recruited one of what are now becoming known as Countrywide’s ‘refugees’.
Countrywide has confirmed that its latest cull is of management layers, while it reduces its brands and branch numbers. It is also said to be rolling its lettings and sales operations into one.
Chiles, who had been with Countrywide for 26 years, said she relished the opportunity to return to the London market where she had spent time previously during her career.
She said: “I am looking forward to growing the Felicity J Lord brand which has become synonymous with the London village culture.
“I want us to be recognised as the go-to place in the capital for people buying and selling, bringing to life the interesting diversity that London has to offer, which is especially important when people are thinking of where to live and work, and taking into account their other priorities in life.”
Chiles began her estate agency career as a result of a chance conversation. “I was looking for a house and someone told me they thought I’d make a good estate agent.
“I felt it would be interesting so I worked my way up from part-time telephone sales to negotiator, branch manager, regional director then ‘retail’ director. I’m a real people person and I’ve loved every single minute of every single day in estate agency.”
Spicerhaart CEO Paul Smith welcomed Chiles to the team and said her high level of knowledge and skills would be a real asset to Felicity J Lord.
He said: “Kim is exactly the kind of person we are looking for to help our brands continue to flourish and grow.”
Chiles is also a magistrate in north east London.
Andrews and Arun have both recently announced their recruitments of previous Countrywide “retail” directors. Other senior people formerly with Countrywide in “retail” roles have also joined other independents, apparently grateful for their experience and expertise.
Comments (17)
At what point reversing the trend of failure becomes impossible is unknown. What is known is that in the absence of a buoyant market, recovery to profit takes longer and is therefore more costly. Debt increases and a break up is then more likely. In the meantime the ‘Leadership’ I think they call themselves, continue along the road they have chosen albeit not a road to success. Mrs Platt, Ms Tyrer and those that are party and willing participants in what appears to be a disaster, should take an opinion poll of their employees to check on the ‘building our future’ exercise in the eyes of those it is being inflicted upon.
It is a shame and a big shambles. Constant restructures. The building the future strategy has not worked and they should have stuck to what they were could at. Focus on retail and bringing in in retail people is not working. The CEO has good intentions but is not worth an £ 1m pa package. Bring back Grenville Turner and do another buy out. Sort out the mess and get the share price back to decent levels.
I worked for CW for many years and the hard working employees need better leadership.
For example In Scotland/North, since the MD left it is a mess with zero focus and no marketing.
They have lost far too many good estate agents. I believe the investors soon will vote for a new CEO and go back to the drawing board.Business valued at well over £ 1b not that long ago, now worth £ 300m!
Full of number crunchers who count everything but understand little.
Fantastic point regarding the advertising.
They have been absent advertising wise here for a couple of years now.
Typical setup
Manager and two negs.
They have to generate M.A.s, list the properties, do the admin for the properties, offer vendor contact, arrange viewings, arrange fs appointments, cross sell surveyors and solicitors, sales chase, book viewings carry out viewings, canvass, prospect,
Attend conference call almost daily. Be performance managed, always told you can do better, push high fees and “bolt ons”
Basically your average coutrywide neg / manager (they are no longer managers they need to pick the slack up) Is an estate agent, lister, viewing guide, canvasser, sales progessor, administrator and seller of cr*p!
The reason us independents kick their backsides is we have two simple aims, list houses and sell houses – And we give negs the tools they need not use them as tools.
Most independents i know – including the one I now work for – will snap up a Countrywide neg or manager because the training is second to none, they know what they are doing, know what hard work is and just need some love and attention to be really good people – I bet you’d employ an ex Countrywide body?
If they lasted 2 years at Countrywide chances are they will be better than most and thrive in an independent.
Many of my negs are ex CW (myself included).
Issue with CW now (and always has been) is the roll out of a new idea. It is far too disjointed. I have no doubt CW needed to change, maybe try the hybrid route to some extent. But as with everything CW does roll out is a balls up and set the company back.
I have heard that they no longer have regional trainers which is a shame if true.
Doesn’t help they continuously keep having “structure” changes, and changing their staff
What’s the big deal?
All these supposedly hot shot “retail directors” are being re-employed up as lowly Regional/Area managers with the exception of Alison Nunez.
Their careers are going backwards yet you are keen to say they are being “snapped up” which is akin to saying that Man Utd have just snapped up Alan Shearer as their new number 9.
No you have got it wrong, its like a good striker in a top four team dropping into a mid table team.
They will get the mid table team more points and close the gap on the top.
Alison Platt is doing what you are suggesting. In fact she is taking a a top sportsperson from an entity different sport and trying to fit them into her football team. Like the joke this morning that Bolt could play for man United!
She has gone so far and replaced her whole “football” team with runners, ice skaters cyclists, rugby players ….
Oh and before the obligatory dislike, check out the share price, far more qualified people than me can see this is a disaster!
I tell you what, if i knew how to put together a “Buy out” i would seriously look at Countrywide right now.
I know markets only been open last hour or so but again shares are on the slide 1.70 now 2 years ago 6.80!
Countrywide have (still just about) a fantastic foundation. They have a massive lettings book. They have a massive client bank on FS and the infrastructure is in place.
The biggest mistake Platt has done is try to reinvent the wheel. Yes things needed to change, yes they needed to be more customer focused but selling a house is not an online shopping exercise “popping an item” in a basket and then paying £995 at the check out.
Granted some of the board members and M.D’s needed to go as they were stuck in the 80’s/90’s but they have lost some hugely talented people who will go on and make their competitors stronger.
Going into a tougher marker (which 2017 will be) they are going to lose further market share and share price will dip further and they are ill prepared for it. In fact they are doing everything they should not be doing in a market like this.
They also have a massive debt why would you want to buy that?
Every large business has debt, the question is if it is manageable.
Given Countrywides turnover far exceeds the debt and running costs i would say more than manageable.
Is that the best on offer -manageable Most companies incur debt by growing organaically but those wo do byaggresive acquisition hope to add value and increase turnover Hopefully they get a few assets too in the case of CWD whole asset base now the Zoopla shares have gone is2 Goodwill” likely to be written down as turnover is fast going out of the back door with every office shutting and star players leaving with clients attaching . There hasbeen no synergy and the prospect of reducing this debt mountain looks very distant and likley to get more expensive This sad tale will mean this behemoth unravelling with buybacks for peanuts by the individual brands -suicide by instalments
They don’t have any debt.
But Agree that Countrywide would be an excellent purchase.
One thing I agree with is that they are streamlining their brands, I worked for them for 3 years and the different brands were run totally differently to the next, sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards.
I don’t wish to sound personal, but KC did very little for the guys and gals under her in East Anglia – apparently she was a very successful Regional, but didn’t have the wotsits for the higher role she stepped up to and couldn’t fill Lee Wainwrights shoes. The region I worked in (past tense) was totally ignored by her and we never saw her or heard from her.
Having started my career under Kim in East London 13 years ago I would happily describe her as the best Regional I worked under during 12 years at Countrywide. I’m glad I left 6 months ago, just a shame I’m left with the shares………
Will the last estate agent leaving please put the rod and tape back in the cupboard As each star striker leaving on free transfers the “value ” of that mythical beast the unicorn “goodwill” diminishes