Two noted and long-established estate agency names, Bushells and Edmund Cude, have disappeared from the London scene to be replaced by a new entity, Portico.

Edmund Cude was one of the oldest agents in London, having been in business for nearly 200 years, while Bushells traded for nearly 80.

The rebranding took place over the four-day Easter break and involved launching an entirely new website and taking down some 500 boards and replacing them with new ones.

Each of the 12 offices was also rebranded and every single piece of marketing material replaced.

A new fleet of 17 company cars also came into commission.

Managing director Robert Nichols said: “Logistically, it was very difficult – manic – but we had to make the change as cleanly as possible.

“A lot of people worked very long hours to accomplish it.”

Edmund Cude was entirely lettings-focused until three years ago when the company acquired big-name Bushells – then run by Eric Walker. Since then, it has made other acquisitions.

The rebrand came after research among some 1,000 clients showed that 60% of the business’s landlords had originally lived in the property they now rent out. They wanted quality tenants and to have minor maintenance issues in their properties more easily dealt with. As a result, Portico has created a team of 20 in-house tradespeople.

The Portico website is here