News

West Wales: Estate agent to benefit from takeover

Published

9 years ago

November 13, 2015

Tom Sinclair

John Francis branch in Tenby

COUNTRYWIDE PLC, the UK’s largest property services group, has increased its regional footprint in Swansea and across South Wales with the recent acquisition of leading estate and lettings agency, John Francis Estate Agents.

John Francis operates a 21 branch network covering Swansea and South Wales which serves all aspects of the property market, including services in residential sales and lettings, commercial sales, auctions, new homes and financial services. The business has a market leading reputation for its modern approach, IT innovations, high quality and professional customer service and knowledgeable and trained employees.

John Francis will continue to operate as normal under its well established brand name, managed by Directors Bethan Edmund–Harper and Richard Emmanuel. All employees will continue to work in their current roles while benefiting from Countrywide’s shared marketing and IT services, national scale and unrivalled property market insight.

Bethan Edmund-Harper, Director at John Francis Estate Agents, said: “We are delighted and excited to have joined the UK’s largest property services group. John Francis is a strong brand and a well known business in Swansea and across South Wales, and as part of Countrywide we believe that the business will continue to flourish and grow. The business will continue to trade as normal across our branch network and our employees will continue to deliver a high quality customer service as always.”

Established since 1999, John Francis has grown from strength to strength, driven by its former owners, Nigel Jones and Trevor Carr. Both Nigel and Trevor will continue to support the business in the short term as consultants, Nigel focusing mainly on property auctions and Trevor in new homes.

Nigel Jones, Former owner of John Francis Estate Agents, said: “Trevor and I are pleased to have sold John Francis to Countrywide, as we believe the business will continue to develop and benefit from their retail structure and strategy.

“Countywide particularly stood out to us as a business that focuses not only on its customers needs but also on the training and development of its employees. They can provide our employees with the opportunity to build on their current strong skills and achieve industry recognised qualifications.”

Bruce Evans, Commercial Director for Countrywide, said: “John Francis is the perfect fit for Countrywide, as the business has achieved a market leading position with a dedicated team of 130 employees that are renowned for delivering a high quality, reliable, honest and professional service.This business plays a key role in our retail division strategy, to expand our regional footprint and stand out as a responsible key player in the property industry.

“As the UK’s largest property services group, we are dedicated to bringing people and property together and make sure all of our customers are united with their dream home. We do this by developing a deep understanding of our customers and their needs, which is supported by our integrated group structure.”

A representative of John Francis told The Herald that the company had been informed about the deal on Monday, and that their customers had been notified by telephone yesterday (Nov 12).

“It’s exciting news; we’re getting backed by a major player to expand the John Francis brand,” they added.

“They will give us the latest technology, advertising support, and massive financial backing, which will enable us to grow the brand exponentially.”

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property

Published

5 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.

Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.

The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.

The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.

The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.

News

Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’

Published

5 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”

The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.

Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”

NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.

“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.

“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”

The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”

This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.

Community

Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.

The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.

Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.

Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.

With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.

“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”