CHARTERED surveyors H&H Bowe is creating jobs and has rebranded itself after taking over a County Durham rival.
The Carlisle firm, part of the 140-year-old H&H Group that also includes livestock marts, auction rooms and estate agents, will now be known as H&H Land and Property after acquiring Lanchester-based Nicholson and Weston.
As part of the expansion, the business is opening a North East office in Durham, where it is creating 10 jobs ranging from senior surveyors to administrative staff.
H&H Group chief executive Brian Richardson said: “This acquisition is the merging of two companies which are well-known and respected in their areas. Both have a modern approach with strong traditional values. However, it was time for both to grow and evolve.
“Due to increased business, we have been looking to expand in terms of both office space and staff for a considerable time, and the acquisition of Nicholson and Weston was an ideal opportunity.
“As a result, all specialist advice and services such as forestry, planning and renewables will now be handled in- house by the H&H Land and Property specialists.
“Once the staff are in place, the aim is for H&H Land and Property to become as familiar to the North East as it is in its native Carlisle and the Scottish Borders.”
David Quayle, former managing director of Nicholson and Weston, will head the new office. His existing staff will also be moving to the Aykley Heads site.
Quayle, who is now a director of H&H Land and Property, said: “H&H Bowe had an increasing number of clients who came to them from the North East and due to increased demand we were having to send some of the work out of the region, so it made sense to combine the two businesses.
“We will offer a broad range of specialist services and to meet our business requirements we have launched a recruitment drive for 10 new members of staff.”
H&H Land and Property managing director John Robson said the business is ambitious to grow.
“We are definitely thinking of expansion of our marketplace,” he said.
“One aim of the company is to become a new national force in land agency. ”
The H&H Group’s staff numbers grew from 160 to 245 in the last three years. The group’s turnover jumped by 15% to reach £11.4m in the year to the end of June 2011.
