REAL ESTATE
Reaching out to more clients
Hi-spec – The interior of Parker Barras ’ new Leeds office
Parker Barras has opened another office – and more are planned
Modern – The new office has impressive meeting space
Middlesbrough-based commercial property and business agent Parker Barras has opened a second regional office in Leeds - with plans for five more over the course of the next couple of years .
The 15-year-old business , whose headquarters is in Middlehaven , is now looking for additional staff to front up the new Yorkshire base .
Parker Barras is looking for a business development manager , sales negotiator and admin assistant for its second office , right in the heart of Leeds city centre at Park Place .
It follows a string of fantastic results in all areas of the business and has led to its founder , John Taylor , setting his sights on rolling out his offering beyond Teesside and the North-East .
“ We are planning for further growth over the next 24 months ,” said John .
“ Leeds is just the start of one of six regional offices we have planned . We have
Progress – Parker Barras director John Taylor .
invested heavily in procedures and systems and computer software to deal with growth .
“ From what we have found , people want to speak with someone locally , they don ’ t want to deal with someone in London or wherever who can ’ t come out to see you .
“ We want to deliver a personal approach and make sure the client has the right exit strategy in terms of selling the business .
“ At the end of the financial year 2021 , we had a record month in terms of the transactions we conducted both in terms of the commercial sales and lettings we offer and the business transfer agency work we do . The progression is expansion .”
Parker Barras expanded into the area of business sales last October , having become aware of a gap in the market because of the way the company deals with its clients . It has been a fruitful decision , with a further four jobs created in the Middlesbrough office .
John , a Parker Barras director , said : “ There are a few companies who purport to sell businesses on Teesside but they don ’ t specialise in it . We are the only company who does .
“ Leeds as an area has a couple of wellestablished companies in our industry . They are offering what we do but , coupled with our experience , I think we will be able to offer a more personal service , which ultimately will win us the business .”
Parker Barras will have an initial chat , in person or virtually , with a potential client to find out about the business it will be working with . Then , ideally , it would ask for
three years of accounts before conducting a market appraisal .
At that point , if the client wants to sign the contract , Parker Barras will handle the whole process of selling your business .
John said : “ No two days are the same . One day it might be a beauty salon , coach business or pub , the next it could be a facilities management company . We see them all at Parker Barras .”
As well as satisfying its clients , Parker Barras has put a lot of work into making its Middlehaven-base a nice place to work .
John added : “ We made a conscious decision to set our goals and strategies for the future . Part of that was to invest in our offices in Middlesbrough .
“ One reason was to make the staff have a nicer working experience , so we have upgraded the offices , toilets , kitchens , gardens and meeting rooms to improve the working environment .
“ Even though we offer flexible working , the staff tend to like to come to the office to mix , with 99 per cent of work done in the office . More is done and the camaraderie is strong .
“ Our unique selling point , which will work wherever , is that we don ’ t charge up front fees , there ’ s a no-obligation consultation and we advertise on more sites than any other agent .”
For further information , check out parkerbarras . co . uk
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