Thornley Groves Voted Winner at the ‘Oscars’ of the Estate Agency Industry
The 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards
Thornley Groves received the ultimate industry accolade on Friday 3rd December by being crowned as the Gold Winner of Best Medium Northern Category at the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times, held at the Lancaster London Hotel.
The event, now in its eighth year, is recognised as the most important event in the industry calendar and attracted agents from across the country representing over 4,000 branches. It was once again supported by The Sunday Times and The Times and for the first time, property website Zoopla.co.uk with the winners presented with their awards by one of Britain’s most successful athletes, James Cracknell.
Following their initial submissions, all the entrants were subjected to rigorous scrutiny by a panel of independent industry experts and the whole judging process was once more overseen and supported by the Property Ombudsman Christopher Hamer with Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of NFOPP acting as Arbiter.
Ten of the firm’s Branch Managers and Directors attended the glittering awards dinner in London. Matthew Smith, Sales Manager of the firm’s four city centre Manchester offices, along with Carolyn Nichol, Sales Manager at the Sale office, stepped up to receive the award on behalf of Thornley Groves. Carolyn commented “Having worked for Thornley Groves for 11 years I’m extremely proud that industry experts have concluded that we are the best Estate Agent in the North of England. We have a fantastic team spirit and whilst we know we’re good at what we do, for others to recognise us in this way is amazing.” Matthew added “I think that what influenced the judges here is that, despite a tough market place, Thornley Groves has been able to identify real buyers who are able to proceed where other agents so often fail and I’m proud that I’ll be able to use this accolade to persuade more vendors to let us handle their property sale.”
The Judges’ Report highlighted the particular qualities of Thornley Groves stating, “By expanding their business in a contracting market, this agency has increased its market share through making sure their business is as reactive and diverse as possible. Using new technology such as iPads and an updated website to provide immediate action and feedback for customers, they are a well balanced, well-run business offering a strong service across the board, from urban city centre flats to top end homes in the leafy suburbs and countryside. Once again demonstrating an impressive dedication to their customers at every point of contact, the team at Thornley Groves is to be congratulated on their jump from the silver in 2009 to this year’s gold. Well done.”
Jason Watkin and Michael Groves, the owners of Thornley Groves, attended the awards with their senior managers. Operations Director Jason commented “This award has put the icing on the cake of an incredible year; despite the distraction of opening two new offices this year we’ve increased our market share and worked hard to innovate and find buyers more quickly and the message of all of that in our submission obviously impressed the judges.” 
Michael Groves added “The business was established 20 years ago this year and as we’ve grown we’ve become more adept at understanding the market, 
what vendors want and what buyers are looking for. We have a great brand and an amazing team; we won silver in the best Northern Category last year which we were very proud of, and to be named as one of the best five firms with between 5 and 25 offices in the whole of the country this year and the very best in the Northern Region, is something that we are all extremely proud of.”
Peter Knight, Chairman of the event organisers Estate Agency Events comments, “I would like to congratulate all those who have won awards at this year’s event. There is no doubt that the market is still very tough, with record lows in the number of mortgages being lent, but these awards clearly demonstrate the absolute commitment to excellence within our industry. This will be vital to help the industry return to growth and thrive in the future.
“I would also like to add my grateful thanks particularly to the team at The Sunday Times and The Times whose continued support has helped make the 2010 Awards the biggest and best event yet.”
A particularly poignant moment came when the 2010 EAE Outstanding Contribution Estate Agency Award was presented to Sean Newman of Newman Property Services, not only for his contribution to improving the reputation and public opinion of the estate agency industry but also for his personal courage in overcoming an horrific and near-fatal accident in July this year during a fundraising cycle ride. Having started in the industry over 25 years ago, he started Newmans Property Services aged just 21 and has done much for the industry in terms of raising standards and through his personal fundraising philosophy which has seen him raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.
The chosen charity for the 2010 Awards was The Estate Agency Foundation which exists to unite the estate agency industry and their customers to work together to combat the causes of homelessness in the UK and help thousands of people at risk of losing their homes through poverty, mental illness, abuse, dependency issues and many other factors. Donations on the day raised £6,574 which will be donated to The Estate Agency Foundation to distribute to those in need via existing channels.
For a full list of all the award winners please visit: www.estateagencyoftheyear.com
Award winning Royal Mills overlooks the Rochdale Canal and is regarded as one of the most significant spinning mills in Manchester. 
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This dedication recently shone through when the Sale branch of Thornley Groves Estate Agents sold a family home within just one week of being placed on the market, for a record pre-economic downturn price in its location.
In addition to growth in registered purchasers, sales stock available and stock under offer over the previous year, we have also seen a sharp increase in market interest in recent months, and our Open House events are attracting not only high attendance levels but also numerous offers being made for showcased properties on the day of these events.
