The branch is owned by father and son duo Will and David Parker who have operated a dry cleaning business in the local area for more than 50 years and have decided to capitalise on their local knowledge by diversifying into the property market.
Will Parker, owner of Century 21 UK Croydon Central, said: “Having operated a local business for more than five decades, our family name is well established in the area as a reputable employer and we believe that will stand us in good stead in our future endeavours in the property market.
“Even though our previous venture wasn’t in the same sector, our knowledge of the Croydon area is second to none and we have an acute awareness of the local property trends. In fact, the recovery of the sales market and the buoyancy of the letting market in Croydon and south London in general is part of the reason we were keen to get involved.
“Century 21 seemed the obvious choice to help fulfil our property market ambitions and it is providing us with all the support we need to transfer our skill sets and become appropriately qualified. In many ways it is a match made in heaven – our local knowledge allied to Century 21’s global reach and expertise.”
Rob Clifford, chief executive of Century 21 UK and group commercial director of Shepherd Direct Group, said: “Although many of our franchisees have previous experience of the property market, we have always welcomed entrepreneurs from all walks of life and the new Croydon Central branch is the perfect example of this.
“Knowing your local market can be just important as an extensive estate agency CV and we are confident Will and David will be able to apply their knowledge to making our newest office a success.”
Services available from the new Croydon Central office include residential estate agency and lettings management, commercial sales and letting, independent mortgage advice and surveys.
