Lomond Group has extended its presence in one of its key English heartlands with another major acquisition – adding more than 60 staff, four new branches, and almost 1,000 rental properties to its business.

Its Thornley Groves brand, which operates throughout Greater Manchester and Cheshire, has bought the independent agency, Julian Wadden & Company.

As well as its lettings and sales business, Thornley Groves also inherits a buoyant land and new homes specialism with over 400 new build properties in its pipeline.

Thornley Groves will retain the established name and brand of Julian Wadden – launched 15 years ago – as well as its team of people and its inter-linked branches in Didsbury, Heaton Moor, Stockport and Marple.

Thornley Groves CEO Jason Watkin said:

“We are thrilled to join forces with a progressive agency of this calibre, and look forward to pooling the expertise and home-grown talent of both teams of people.”

The senior team at Julian Wadden are all continuing in their current roles, including Julian Bethell, Ben Foster, Andrew Smirthwaite, Hassan Mahmood, Maria Breen and Daniel Brownhill.

The deal will see Julian Wadden himself retire from the agency he founded in 2007 after a 25-year career in residential sales and lettings across south Manchester along with his wife Michelle Wadden, co-owner and HR Director of the Business since 2012.

Julian said: “It fills me with great pride to see how far the company has travelled since we opened our doors, growing from one person to a 60-strong team and becoming the market leader in these thriving communities… I look forward to seeing Julian Wadden & Company continue to flourish.”

Thornley Groves has now secured 11 acquisitions in little over a year – tripling the size of its business. It currently has around 7,000 properties under its management compared to 2,400 at the end of 2020.

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