Hamptons International

Hamptons International
Industry Real estate
Founded 1890
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Services Residential sales and lettings
Parent Countrywide plc
Website www.hamptons.co.uk

Hamptons International is an estate agent (real estate broker) chain that has an international network of more than 85 branches. Hamptons International was bought by Countrywide in 2010 from real estate giant Emaar Properties.

History

The business was established in 1890 by William Hampton who started his career with a furniture shop on Cranbourn Street, London.

In 1890 the firm's records were almost totally destroyed in a fire which broke out in their offices. As a result a new estate office was provided and staff moved to offices at 1 Cockspur Street. A limited company was created with George Hampton as Chairman and Managing Director. In 1900 a satellite office was opened on Wimbledon Common.[1] Waring & Gillow acquired the parent company Hampton & Sons' Limited in 1903.[2]

In 1920, Hampton & Sons', Estate Agents & Auctioneers, moved to 20 St James’s Square, London W.1. During the 1920s, the successful auction house arm was involved in the sale of, amongst other things, the Michelham Collection in 1926 (when the record auction price of 74,000 guineas was achieved for the painting 'Pinkie' by Sir Thomas Lawrence[3]), the luxury liner RMS Mauretania and the Cameroon Islands.[1] In 1936 the Estate Office moved to the former French embassy building on Arlington Street.[1] In 1957 the Estate Agency was purchased from the parent company (by now Camp Bird Limited, who acquired Hampton & Sons' Limited in 1957[4]) when a partnership was formed by the founder’s grandson, Mr P Hampton.[2]

By late 1986 discussions were underway for the business to be purchased by Abaco Investments, a company led by Peter Goldie.[5] The purchase was completed in 1987[6] for a sum of over £15 million.[7] During the 1980s there was a period of expansion and acquisition, with a number of historic firms in the South of England being purchased and rebranded as Hamptons. These included Christopher Rowland, Giddy & Giddy, Messenger May Baverstock and Pocock & Lear.[1] After an aborted bid in the latter part of 1987 which was cancelled due to the stock market collapse, British and Commonwealth Holdings took control of the 70.1% of Abaco Investments it did not already own in 1988, in a bid worth 72 pence per share. By this time Peter Goldie had been appointed Chief Executive of British and Commonwealth and therefore he took no part in negotiations over the takeover of Abaco.[8] In February 1989, Hamptons acquired the residential agency business of Halls Residential. From early 1989 the company centralised accounting and administration functions with the regional administration offices of the predecessor partnerships being closed and responsibility transferred to a new central administration department in Guildford. Whilst this transition was not without its issues, by early 1990 the problems were resolved.[9]

British and Commonwealth went into administration in June 1990[10] and Hamptons was purchased by Bristol and West Building Society in September 1990.[11]

In February 1996, Hamptons was purchased by Cluttons London Residential Agency (CLRA)[1] for £3.8million and the Hong Kong operations of the combined company were renamed Cluttons-Hamptons in April 1996.[12]

In 2005 it was purchased again by Wheelock Properties (Singapore) Limited. In August 2006, the global real estate giant, Emaar Properties bought Hamptons International for £104 million.[13]

In June 2010, Hamptons International's UK, European, Asian and Latin American businesses were acquired by Countrywide Plc, Emaar retained the Middle East and North African businesses.[13] Earlier in 2010, Hamptons had launched a valuations business led by Nigel Macdonald.[14]

In January 2014, Hamptons acquired the north London and Home Counties estate agency Preston Bennett which specialised in high end properties as well as having planning, land and development services departments.[15] This was followed in June with the purchase of Humphreys Skitt & Co, a firm founded in 1793,[16] and the purchase of the letting business of Humberts in July of the same year.[17] Further acquisitions over the coming years included the firm of John Curtis in Hertfordshire[18] and Ikon in East London, both in March 2015,[19] Greene & Co/Urban Spaces of North West London in May 2015[20] and Patterson Bowe of West London in March 2016.[21]

Operations

The Company has an international network of more than 85 offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Property100.co.uk. Hamptons. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Hampton and Sons. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  3. ↑ All Things Bournmoor. Lambton Castle > 1932 Auction . Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Camp Bird. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  5. ↑ Standard Chartered buying 12.7pc stake in Abaco. Business Times (Singapore), 11 December 1986. pp.10.
  6. ↑ Hume, Lucy (Ed). "Underhill, Nicholas Peter", Debrett's People of Today: 2017. London: Debrett's Ltd. 2016.
  7. ↑ Lawson, David. Making it big in the small time: David Lawson speaks to estate agents whose businesses were bought up by giant corporations in the boom and who have returned - happily, in the most part - to their old patches. The Independent, 23 January 1993. Available online at . Accessed 11 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Razzall, Tim. Chance Encounters: Tales from a varied life. London: Biteback Publishing. 2014.
  9. ↑ Hamptons Residential Limited. Director's Report and Accounts 1989. Hamptons Residential Limited, 11 September 1990. Available online at . Accessed 11 December 2017.
  10. ↑ Companies House. Administration Order - British and Commonwealth Holdings plc. Companies House, 3 June 1990. Available online at . Accessed 11 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Hamptons Residential Limited. Director's Report and Accounts 1990. Hamptons Residential Limited, 28 March 1991. Available online at . Accessed 11 December 2017.
  12. ↑ Warren, Richard. "Cluttons, Hamptons team up in Hong Kong". South Chine Morning Post, 24 April 1996. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  13. 1 2 Clark, Nick. "Countrywide Expands With Acquisition Of Hamptons". The Independent, 17 June 2010. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  14. ↑ Davidson, Sarah. "Hamptons grows valuation division". Mortgage Introducer, 30 July 2010. Available online at . Accessed 28 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "Hamptons International snaps up north London agency". Estate Agent Today, 29 January 2014. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Renshaw, Rosalind (2014). "Hamptons makes second acquisition this year". Property Industry Eye, 24 June 2014. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Humberts lettings sold; Chestertons on the market ". Letting Agent Today, 3 July 2014. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  18. ↑ Renshaw, Rosalind (2015). "Countrywide firm Hamptons hits acquisition trail". Property Industry Eye, 3 March 2015. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Renshaw, Rosalind (2015). "Hamptons buys property firm specialising in affordable housing". Property Industry Eye, 10 March 2015. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  20. ↑ Ivey, Prudence (2015). "West Hampstead estate agency bought by Hamptons International". Ham & High Property, 12 May 2015. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
  21. ↑ "Acquisitions and departures". The Negotiator, 31 March 2016. Available online at . Accessed 31 July 2017.
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